Mayweather on the money

Floyd Mayweather Jr. made an impressive return to the ring after a 21-month layoff with a unanimous points victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas.

The 32-year-old dominated all 12 rounds of the non-title welterweight contest and made full use of both his left jab and agile movement at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Mayweather also put his Mexican opponent on the canvas in the second round - the victory taking his professional record to 40-0 with 25 knockouts.

"I've been off for almost two years but it felt really good to be back," said Mayweather, whose last appearance brought a 10th round stoppage of Ricky Hatton in December 2007. "I was happy with the victory but I know can get better."

Mayweather, who has won six world titles at five different divisions, held a significant weight and reach advantage over five-times world champion Marquez and was a heavy favourite going into the bout.
No sign of rust

Watched by a crowd of 13,000, he showed no sign of rust and controlled the pace of the fight with his lightning hand and foot speed, rock-solid defence and telling combinations.

Mayweather landed a couple of early left jabs and drew blood on Marquez's forehead before the latter ended a fast-paced opening round by pinning his opponent against the ropes.

Marquez was again on the offensive early in round two, but Mayweather then put him on the canvas with a stinging left hook.

Mayweather, moving nimbly and frequently leaning back to avoid head punches, took advantage of his longer reach to dominate the next three rounds.

The Mexican frequently drove him on to the ropes, but Mayweather remained in control and repeatedly landed left jabs.

He ended the 11th round by landing a crunching right hook and maintained control until the final bell sounded to end the 12th.

"That guy is tough as nails," added Mayweather, for whom the judges scored the contest 118-109, 120-107 and 119-108.

"He was a great little big man. I threw a hell of a shot that dropped him, and then he got back up and kept fighting. He's a tough guy."

Too fast

The 36-year-old Marquez, who moved up two weight classes for the fight, now has a record of 50-5-1 with 37 knockouts.

"It was a very hard fight," he said. "He surprised me with the knockdown. He hurt me in that round but not at any other time.

"I don't want to make excuses but the weight was the problem," added Marquez, who was four pounds lighter at Friday's weigh-in.

"He's too fast. When I hit him he laughed but I knew he felt my punches. I did the best I could do."

Source: skysports.com

Mayweather returns with unanimous win

(CNN) -- Floyd Mayweather Jr made a triumphant return to the ring with a unanimous 12-round points decision over Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas.

The unbeaten Mayweather knocked down Marquez in the second round and continued a punishing assault on the five-time, three weight world champion for the remainder of the fight.

The scores of the three judges, 118-109, 120-107 and 119-108, underlined his dominance in his first bout since December 2007 when he beat Britain's Ricky Hatton.

It was his 40th win, with 25 inside the distance while Marquez slipped to 50-5-1 in the non-title welterweight match.

Mayweather weighed in four pounds more than the Mexican, incurring a reported $600,000 fine for breaking the terms of the bout, and also had an advantage in height and reach.

But advantages aside, it was a massively impressive return by the American, who is nothing but confident.

"I've been off two years, but I can get better," Mayweather told reporters.

He is now set for a moneyspinning showdown with Filipino Manny Pacquiao, who has forged his reputation as the best pound for pound fighter on the planet in Mayweather's absence.

Pacquiao also dispatched Hatton and is facing Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in the Nevadan city on November 14.

Victory will set up reportedly the richest fight in boxing history against six-time world champion Mayweather, who has spanned five different weight divisions in garnering his titles.

Marquez enjoyed some success in the second round before feeling the force of Mayweather's punching.

He felt the differences in height and weight were a factor.

"There are no excuses, but I really felt the difference in weight," said Marquez, who holds the WBA and WBO world lightweight titles and moved up to take on Mayweather, who paid tribute to his durable 36-year-old opponent.

"He's tough as nails," Mayweather said . "He's a great little man."

Source: edition.cnn.com

Five things we learned from Mayweather vs. Marquez

1. The concerns over Mayweather's ring rust were greatly exaggerated

Many thought the skills that have made Mayweather a surefire Hall of Famer -- the dazzling reflexes, precise counter-punching ability and preternatural ring instincts -- might suffer from the 21-month layoff. But Floyd appeared sharp from jump street, landing 18 of 31 punches (58 percent) in the first round, compared to just 4 of 52 for Marquez (8 percent). It set a harsh tone: Marquez landed in single digits in every subsequent round. Dinamita just could never figure out a way to get into the fight. It got ugly by the end. Mayweather outlanded his outclassed opponent 34-4 in the 10th and 41-5 in the 11th, prompting Golden Boy's Eric Gomez to beg Marquez's corner to throw in the towel. But Marquez managed to finish with dignity -- con caracter -- remaining on his feet until the final bell rang.

2. Size and speed weren't Floyd's only advantages

Mayweather controlled the early rounds with the left jab, using his reach advantage to keep Marquez at a distance. But Floyd also throws a left that looks like a jab but turns into a hook mid-punch. It's a power punch. And once the opponent starts moving backwards, as Marquez did early on, Floyd can land it at will. Those hurt Marquez. After that, it was a steady diet of right-hand leads and more left jabs. We'd heard so much about Marquez's ability to make mid-fight adjustments, but it was Mayweather who impressed the boxing cognoscenti with his fistic acumen.

3. The promoters earned their paychecks on this one

The announcement of Marquez as the opponent for Mayweather's comeback fight was met with considerable surprise and skepticism back in May. What chance did the longtime featherweight champion, who'd fought just twice above 130 pounds, stand against an opponent most comfortable at welterweight?

Despite the critics, the combination of Marquez's Hall-of-Fame pedigree and consensus No. 2-standing in the pound-for-pound rankings (along with a slick promotional campaign, which included another four-part 24/7 series on HBO) made believers of us all. Not that Marquez would or even could win, but that he'd push Mayweather in a cagey, competitive fight. Yeah, right. This one was a mismatch from the start.

4. A return to normalcy for conventional boxing wisdom

It's one of the oldest axioms in boxing lore: A good big man will always beat a good little man. Most of the time, anyway. Manny Pacquiao turned the conventional wisdom on its ear with victories over De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, putting the truism to the test. Make no mistake: Marquez is a bona fide Hall of Famer, a champion in three divisions. But it was obvious from the opening rounds that Marquez was simply unable to hurt Mayweather. Even following the flash knockdown in the second round, when Marquez walked right into a left hook, he seemed content to fight in the center of the ring -- a fatal mistake. The eight or nine powerful shots Marquez was able to land seemed to slip right off Mayweather's cheeks, inducing toothy grins from the cocksure American. Transcendent talents like Pacquiao are once-in-a-generation exceptions to the rule: Saturday's fight gave fans a sobering (and expensive) reminder of the raison d'etre of weight classes.

5. Let the countdown to Mayweather-Pacquiao begin

The specter of a showdown between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao -- the former and current pound-for-pound champions -- hung over this fight before it was even made. It should finally happen next year (presuming Pacquiao gets through Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14), and it'll be a great one. Unlike the fatally flawed Marquez, Pacquiao is a small guy who can carry his punch up to welterweight. (Just ask De La Hoya.)

But many boxing fans are itching to see Mayweather pick on someone his own size. One attractive candidate is welterweight titlist Shane Mosley, who went Kanye West during Mayweather's televised post-fight interview with HBO's Max Kellerman and called Floyd out. The exchange left Mayweather flustered and Kellerman shook -- judging by the microphone trembling in his hand -- and probably did little to help Mosley secure the high-profile megafight he's deserved since January's lopsided stoppage of Antonio Margarito. As things stand, look for Mayweather to fight the Pacquiao-Cotto winner in 2010.

Source: sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Mayweather vs Marquez fight photos

Mayweather pummels Marquez in return

LAS VEGAS – Round-by-round coverage of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s unanimous decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez in front of 13,116 fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Official judges scores: William Lerch 118-109; Bert Clements 120-107; Dave Moretti 119-108.

Round 1: Mayweather opens with a jab to the head and one to the body. Marquez short with a jab. Hook by Mayweather lands. Mayweather lands a hook. Marquez not doing much at all. Jab by Marquez. Marquez misses wildly with a hook. Left-right by Marquez. Good left hook by Mayweather. Another hard left by Floyd.
Mayweather wins round, 10-9

Round 2: Mayweather lands a jab and Marquez lands a hook. Mayweather seems so much faster. Crowd chanting for Marquez, but he’s not landing much. Hard right by Marquez. Mayweather smiles. It definitely landed flush. Left uppercut by Mayweather puts Marquez down. Marquez is up. Hard right by Mayweather lands. Marquez misses three shots badly. Combination by Mayweather. Hard right by Mayweather.
Mayweather wins round, 10-8.

Round 3: Hard jab by Mayweather to open the round. Mayweather blocks a Marquez combination. Left-right by Mayweather. Straight right by Floyd. Short right inside by Juan. Mayweather lands a jab. Combination by Mayweather lands. Marquez gets in a right. Speed difference between the men is stark. Right over the top by Marquez. Mayweather smiles again.
Mayweather wins round, 10-9.

Round 4: Right hand by Mayweather and a jab to the body. They bang heads, but nothing happens. Good left hook by Floyd. Right to the body by Juan. Right to the head by Marquez. Mayweather popping the jab in Marquez’s nose. Marquez’s face is beginning to swell, especially right eye. Right by Marquez. Hard hook by Floyd. Mayweather flicking jab and making Marquez miss badly.
Mayweather wins round, 10-9.

Round 5: Marquez tries a combination, but Mayweather scurries away. Mayweather pops jab and it lands hard. Crowd urging Marquez on, but Mayweather lands a left that does not do much damage. Marquez misses a five-punch combination. Counter right lands by Floyd. Big left by Floyd. Left hook by Floyd lands. Marquez’s right eye not looking good. Another hard left hook by Mayweather. Marquez can’t catch up to him.
Mayweather wins round, 10-9.

Round 6: Straight right by Floyd. Marquez misses a combination. Double jab by Floyd. Mayweather cracks Marquez with a hard left. Marquez showed effects of that blow. Right to body by Marquez. Hard jab by Mayweather. Jab-right hand by Mayweather. Right by Mayweather. They trade in corner but not much lands. Hard right by Mayweather. Left hook by Mayweather and then a right.
Mayweather wins round, 10-9.

Round 7: Marquez missing badly. Mayweather jabs to the body. They clinch in the center of the ring. Hard left hook by Mayweather. Mayweather popping the jab. Mayweather winks at HBO’s announcers while in a clinch. Jab-right hand by Floyd. Marquez’s face doesn’t look good. Marquez lands a left hook. Mayweather’s defense is remarkable. Hard straight right by Floyd and then a left hook. Left hook by Mayweather.
Mayweather wins round, 10-9.

Round 8: Right by Marquez. Left hook by Marquez and a left by Mayweather. They trade jabs. Mayweather popping jab. Marquez’s left eye looks awful. He’s right above me and I can’t imagine he sees much out of it. Mayweather lands a left again. Marquez hooks to the body. Jab by Maweather. Jab by Mayweather. Marquez lands a jab. Right by Mayweather inside and he ducks away. Short right by Marquez. Right by Floyd. Combination to the body by Marquez.
Mayweather wins round, 10-9.

Round 9: Right by Marquez. Jab by Floyd and a right by Juan. Floyd goes with a left to the body. Combination to body by Marquez. Left hook by Mayweather. Jab-right by Mayweather. Straight right by Floyd. Jab by Floyd. It’s a shooting gallery and Marquez is like a sitting duck. Left-right-left by Floyd wobbles Marquez. Big right by Floyd. Marquez is game, but he’s being pummeled.
Mayweather wins round, 10-9.

Round 10: Mayweather is popping lefts to start round. He seems intent on maybe getting Marquez out. Two hard rights to head by Floyd. Another big right by Floyd. Mayweather lands a huge left hook. This is utter domination. Right by Marquez. Combination by Floyd. Three jabs to nose by Floyd. Short lead right by Mayweather backs Juan up. Right by Mayewather. Marquez’ corner ought to think about stopping this. He’s taking clean hard punches. I can hear them from my ringside seat popping off Juan’s head.
Mayweather wins round, 10-9.

Round 11: Mayweather is landing hard lefts. Golden Boy’s Eric Gomez is in Marquez’s corner asking them to throw in towel. Uppercut by Floyd. Marquez misses badly on five-punch combination. Huge right by Floyd. Another right by Floyd. Hook by Mayweather. Right to the body by Floyd. Hard right by Floyd snaps Juan’s head back. Referee is looking carefully at Marquez. Jab by Mayweather.
Mayweather wins round, 10-9.

Round 12: Left hook by Floyd to open round. Left-right by Floyd. Mayweather misses home-run uppercut. Mayweather not doing as much in the final. Marquez misses a combination. Hard right by Floyd and then a left. Huge right by Mayweather and Marquez hangs on.
Mayweather wins round, 10-9.

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Mayweather's weight advantage a masterstroke, says Watt

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Floyd Mayweather pulled off a masterstroke by weighing in four pounds heavier than Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez for Saturday's non-title welterweight bout, says Britain's former WBC lightweight champion Jim Watt.

American Mayweather, who is undefeated in 39 professional fights, tipped the scales at 146 pounds (66kgs), two pounds over the contracted limit.

"I don't believe he ever planned to weigh in at 144," Watt, who held the WBC lightweight crown from 1979 to 1981, told Reuters on Friday.

Although Watt did not feel the weight difference would directly affect the outcome of the 12-round bout, he said Mayweather would be able to box better without the pressure to lose extra pounds.

"He had all the advantages going into this bout and now he has another one," the Scot added.

Ten-times world champion Oscar De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy Promotions company handles Marquez, acknowledged the Mexican would be at a significant weight disadvantage.

However he pinpointed the unexpected bonus gained by Marquez when the fight, initially set for July, was postponed by two months after Mayweather suffered a rib injury in training.

"He told me it was a blessing in disguise," said De La Hoya, referring to the extra time Marquez had to adapt to the weight.

"I was worried about my speed back then; now I feel faster than ever,' he was telling me."

Marquez, 50-4-1 (37 KOs), has never fought above 135 pounds and has moved up two weight divisions to take on Mayweather, a natural welterweight.

MAJOR PLUS

A major plus for the 36-year-old Mexican was his counter-punching skill, according to Watt.

"Marquez punches harder than Mayweather," the Briton said. "I imagine the Marquez plan is to go to the body.

"If you're in with a guy who's difficult to catch to the head, then why not go to the body? You can't move the body out the way as you can with the head."

De La Hoya, arguably the biggest name in contemporary boxing, agreed.

"He's a smart boxer, he's a very intelligent fighter but, at the same time, he has that lion's heart," De La Hoya said of Marquez, who has won world titles in three weight divisions.

"He fights to the very end. He can get dropped 10 times and he'll still come back and fight as hard as he can.

"I think that combination of him being smart and fighting to the end is going to be complicated for Mayweather."

Source: reuters.com

Mayweather vs. Marquez Prediction

By Bong Paredes: In less than 24 hours we will finally get to see if Marquez has what it takes to compete and perhaps beat the best boxer for the last 10 years in Floyd Mayweather Jr. As a guy that never met a fight he didn’t like, Marquez is going to in the ring for the first time where he isn’t pegged as the better and faster counterpuncher, and seeing that those are the main attributes that allowed him to give Manny Pacquiao fits the outlook is not so bright for the Mexican great. A lot of fans believe he has a good chance of beating Floyd and I am not in a position to say he doesn’t because he is an excellent fighter, I just don’t see it happening..

These same people will allude to Mayweather’s inactivity as the possible reason for his “0” to go. They also said that even if he is consistently working out while he was retired, being in gym shape and in boxing shape are two totally different things and I agree. Because even the great Michael Jordan was not able to instantly reclaim his throne after and 1 month layoff. All of those things are true but there’s a big difference in that analogy that they failed to take into consideration. Basketball is a team sport while boxing is not. There are a lot of match-ups aside from Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway that made the difference, that’s something Floyd will never need to worry about.

Some fans also said that Marquez’ uncanny ability to make unbelievable mid fight adjustments will make a lot of difference; his fights with Pacquiao and recently with Juan Diaz are living proof. That is true, but he’s fighting Floyd Mayweather here, Floyd is the master of that. Chopchop Corley cracked him really bad early in their fight but that was as close as he got. He may be a braggart and we might not like it but most of what he’s saying is true. There is no blueprint on how to beat him. Many boxers and trainers look at first fight with Jose Luis Castillo because that was the only fight Floyd had a hard time from start to finish but he proved to everyone that it was a one time thing. He beat Castillo in a rematch and everyone that fought him after that tried the very same approach to no avail. If you have any doubts, ask Baldomir, Hatton and Dela Hoya how it worked for them.

Marquez’ ability to recuperate after getting hurt is great but there will be a distinct difference this time. Marquez is not a fast starter and if you look at his fights against Pacquiao and Juan Diaz, he made the necessary adjustments after he was dropped and/or hurt. The difference with Mayweather is he is always a step ahead of anyone. If Marquez gets hurt early and he will get hurt, Mayweather will pick him apart just like anyone else. He’ll make adjustments based on Marquez’ adjustments and it will be a vicious albeit potentially boring cycle. Marquez will have his moments but he doesn’t have enough power to really hurt Mayweather in my view. Both fighters said they will try to knock each other out and I hope for all our sakes they stay true to their word. Either way, I see Mayweather winning this one easy. I think it will be a unanimous decision win but if Marquez’ machismo and stubbornness comes into play, he’ll get knocked out in by the 9th or 10th round.

Source: eastsideboxing.com

Mayweather V Marquez Too Close Too Call, Says Insider

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - The non-title welterweight bout between undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr and Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday is too close to call, according to boxing historian Bert Sugar.

Mayweather, four pounds heavier than his opponent at Friday's weigh-in, is a strong favourite to win the 12-round contest but Sugar felt the Mexican had been widely underestimated by pundits.

"I've got this as an even fight," Sugar, 73, told Reuters. "You're looking at two of today's greats and this fight can place one of them into the pantheon of welterweight greats."

Mayweather is bidding to win the 40th bout of his professional career but he faces an element of uncertainty on his return to the ring after a 21-month retirement.

"This is not the 40th fight in Floyd's career, it's the first fight of his second career," said Sugar, a cigar-chomping member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

"Twenty-one months out of anything, even riding a bicycle, is going to be a little bit of a setback. I think you're going to see a rust factor here."

Sugar, author of numerous sports books and a former publisher and editor of Ring Magazine, also pointed to the counter-punching skills, stamina and intelligence of Marquez.

"Marquez has never been above 135 (pounds) but he has no trouble with stamina," he said. "He sometimes finishes at a greater pace than he started.

STAMINA PROBLEM

"And maybe after the idleness of 21 months, the stamina problem might now be Mayweather's and not Marquez's."

The Mexican, a five-times world champion who has a 50-4-1 record with 37 knockouts, is known for his aggression and combination punching.

While Mayweather, 39-0 (25 KOs), is the best defensive fighter of his generation with lightning hand and foot speed, Sugar felt the Mexican's style could be a telling factor.

"Marquez's best punch is to the ribs," he said. "You can't hit Mayweather in the head because he is probably the best defensive fighter I have seen since Pernell Whitaker.

"But he turns his body and what does he then expose? His ribs. Marquez is one of the best thinking fighters I have seen in years. He can adapt in the middle of a fight."

Also significant for Sugar was the manner of Mayweather's last four wins -- against Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

"Each of them flagged coming down the stretch," Sugar said. "Lack of stamina, I don't know what it was."

In Sugar's opinion, Marques would be well advised to emulate his compatriot Jose Luis Castillo, who lost a controversial point decision to Mayweather in April 2002.

"That has been the biggest trouble of all 39 fights that he ever fought, his first fight against Castillo," Sugar said.

"If Marquez can move him to the ropes and pressure him, and bangs him to the ribs, that's going to be a problem for Floyd."

Source: nytimes.com

Episode 4: Mayweather vs Marquez 24/7

Mayweather responds to weight controversy!!!

Mayweather loses $300K per pound

LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. weighed in at 146 pounds on Friday afternoon, two pounds heavier than the weight stipulated in the contract for his comeback fight against lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The excess weight will cost Mayweather $300,000 per pound, meaning Marquez will get an additional $600,000 on top of his $3.2 million guarantee, a source told ESPN.com. Mayweather's minimum guarantee is $10 million, a figure likely to dramatically increase after the pay-per-view receipts are counted.

Marquez, who has never fought heavier than 135 pounds, comfortably made 142 pounds, two less than the 144-pound contract weight.

At Mayweather's request, nobody would speak publicly about the contract weight throughout the promotion that kicked off in early May and continued into the fall when the fight was postponed from July 18 because of a Mayweather rib injury.

However, several sources with direct knowledge of the contract told ESPN.com all along that the contract maximum weight was 144 pounds, three less than the 147-pound welterweight maximum.

But after Friday's weigh-in, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer finally addressed the issue, telling ESPN.com, "The fight was contracted as a welterweight fight with an agreed upon weight of 144 pounds. However, there were pre-negotiated weight penalties built in."

Schaefer would not disclose the dollar figure, but another source with direct knowledge of the contract told ESPN.com that the penalty was $300,000 per pound if either fighter was overweight.

According to the source, the Marquez camp knew Wednesday night that Mayweather would not make weight because Mayweather's team made overtures to Golden Boy Promotions in an effort to have Marquez agree to change weight on the bout agreements to be filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

However, Marquez's contract had already been filed reading 144 pounds, according to commission executive director Keith Kizer. But Kizer said the bout agreement was retrieved from the commission by Golden Boy Promotions and changed to 147 with Marquez initialing it.

Mayweather's contract with 147 pounds was not filed with the commission until minutes before the weigh-in. Kizer said it was supposed to be filed on Wednesday.

Kizer said the Mayweather camp asked to file it Thursday and he said OK, but that deadline also came and went.

"We were very unhappy with the lateness of Mr. Mayweather's contract," Kizer said.

Kizer said that had the bout agreements not been changed to 147, Mayweather would have faced a fine from the commission in addition to whatever penalty he had agreed to pay Marquez. For being two pounds overweight, Kizer said the penalty would have been 10 percent of his purse, or $1 million. Had he been three pounds over (147 pounds), the figure would have jumped to a 20 percent fine.

Source: espn.go.com

Mayweather weighs in 4 pounds heavier than Marquez, surprising fight fans

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Floyd Mayweather Jr. weighed a surprising 146 pounds Friday for his comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, paying a big financial penalty for two extra pounds.

Mayweather stepped on the MGM Grand Garden stage weighing four pounds more than Marquez, and two pounds more than the fight's 144-pound catch weight limit. The fighters' contracts contained an overweight penalty clause that likely moved a six-figure portion of the purse from the undefeated Mayweather to the underdog Marquez, but won't cancel the bout.

"He loses a substantial amount of money," said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, the fight's promoter. "His advisers and his team are quite upset that he's going to have to come up with that substantial amount of money."

Golden Boy generically promoted the fight as a welterweight (under 147 pounds) bout, but the contracted weight of 144 was close to a midpoint between the more typical weights of Mayweather and Marquez, a natural featherweight who has never fought above the 135-pound lightweight limit.

Mayweather made the change Friday morning when he realized he wouldn't make the limit, said Keith Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission.

"It's pretty rare, but it's something that's between the two fighters in this case," said Kizer, noting the bout isn't for a title. "It happens every once in a while when somebody realizes they can't make weight a week before the fight, but it's rare that it happens four hours (before the weigh-in). They have the ability to move up if that's what they want."

Schaefer wouldn't disclose the total penalty paid by Mayweather, who didn't appear the slightest bit concerned by the extra weight while playing to a lively weigh-in crowd that included a few hundred Mayweather fans. It was a marked change from his last weigh-in at the MGM Grand for his December 2007 bout with Ricky Hatton, when the English-dominated crowd gleefully chanted "Floyd's only got one fan!"

Still, Marquez clearly was the crowd favorite, greeted with chants and cheers from thousands of flag-waving fans of Mexican heritage.

Mayweather followed in Oscar De La Hoya's footsteps by picking on somebody who wasn't his own size, but De La Hoya's decision to fight Manny Pacquiao last year didn't work out so well. After Pacquiao weighed in at 142 pounds last December, nine months after fighting at 129, he demolished De La Hoya, who struggled and starved to get to 145.

Pacquiao stopped De La Hoya after the eighth round.

"Sometimes size matters, and sometimes size doesn't matter," Schaefer said. "I really don't know what the implications of that are, but all of that was contractually dealt with, so it was no surprise to me, it was no surprise to Marquez, and it was no surprise to Mayweather."

Source: latimes.com

Mayweather, Marquez weigh in

Weights by Andreas Hale & David L. Hudson
Photos by Chris Cozzone
From the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for tomorrow night’s “Number One/Numero Uno” card promoted by Golden Boy Promotions & Mayweather Promotions, televised on HBO-PPV:
Floyd Mayweather 146 vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 142
Chris John 126 vs. Rocky Juarez 126
Michael Katsidis 135 vs. Vicente Escobedo 134
Orlando Cruz 126 vs. Cornelius Lock 125
Said Ouali 146 vs. Francisco Rios 148
Erislandy Lara 155 vs. Jose Varela 156
Jessie Vargas 140 vs. Raul Tovar 141
Dion Savage 167.5 vs. Loren Myers 167.5
Mike Perez 133 vs. Richard Ellis 133


Source: fightnews.com

Weigh-in Pics from Las Vegas

Roach tips Mayweather to win ‘boring’ contest

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) — Trainer Freddie Roach, uncannily accurate in his predictions of recent high-profile fights, has forecast a points victory for Floyd Mayweather Jr. over Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

Although Mayweather will be returning to the ring after a 21-month retirement for the non-title welterweight bout, Roach believes the undefeated American holds a significant advantage because of his lighting hand speed and footwork.

“I like Mayweather to win on a decision, although it might be a boring fight because they are both naturally counter punchers,” Roach told Reuters in the build-up to the 12-round bout at the MGM Grand.

“Marquez is obviously going to have to take the lead and force the fight but he is more comfortable in the counter-punching mode.

“That is why he did well against (Manny) Pacquiao because Pacquiao was so aggressive at that time. He just travelled right into his game.”

Marquez has twice fought Pacquiao, earning a draw when they first clashed in May 2004 before losing his WBA super-featherweight title to the Filipino in a controversial split decision in March 2008.

“Marquez is most effective when he fights a guy coming to him,” Roach said of the Mexican, a five-time world champion who has a 50-4-1 career record with 37 knockouts.

“Now he’s going to fight a runner (in Mayweather) and he’s going to be going forward for the first time in a long time.

“It’s going to be difficult for him because of Mayweather’s speed and movement.”

Mayweather, 39-0 (25 KOs), was widely regarded as boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighter until he retired from the ring after his 10th round stoppage of Britain’s Ricky Hatton in a WBC welterweight title bout in December 2007.

That mythical pound-for-pound tag has since passed to Pacquiao, largely because of his December 2008 defeat of 10-time world champion Oscar De La Hoya and his demolition of Hatton five months later.

On both occasions, Roach was Pacquiao’s trainer and he accurately forecast the results of each of those fights - virtually to the round.

While Roach is backing five-division world champion Mayweather to win his 40th professional bout, he is unlikely to be watching the contest on television.

“I’m not really excited about this fight, to be honest, because it’s between two counter punchers,” Roach said with a smile.

“Styles make fights and, as a match-maker, I think it’s a poor choice. But I’m not the match-maker so it’s not my fault.”

Source: mb.com.ph

CompuBox Analysis: Mayweather vs Marquez

Saturday’s showdown between former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. and consensus number-two all-rounder Juan Manuel Marquez is filled with intrigue, story lines and questions. They include:

* How much of his skills does Mayweather, a solid 4-to-1 favorite, still have following a 22-month layoff?

* How will the 144-pound catchweight (Mayweather’s lightest since he weighed 139 for Arturo Gatti in June 2005) affect “The Pretty Boy” – and how will the additional pounds affect Marquez, who was last seen knocking out Juan Diaz at 135?

* Will beyond-the-ring distractions (the upcoming assault trial of his uncle/trainer Roger, his car being linked to a shooting at a roller rink and whispers of tax troubles) affect Mayweather’s focus and execution?

* At 36 and with many hard fights recently, will Marquez show his age?

* Is Marquez asking too much of himself by fighting a younger, quicker, stronger and rested fighter at an unfamiliar weight?

Only fight night – and hindsight – can offer answers but the numbers offer a glimpse of what might be.

Changing his spots: After losing to Chris John, counter-puncher Marquez added some spice to his normal counter-punching style. Although he’s taking more chances he still became more statistically effective on offense while remaining responsible defensively. In nine fights tracked by CompuBox since the John fight, Marquez throws more (49.4 punches per round now to 45.9 then), lands more (19.0 to 14.6), throws and lands more power shots (29.2 and 13.3 to 27.3 and 10.3) and connects at a higher rate (45.7 percent to 37.5). Defensively, he takes more punches overall (14.4 per round now to 10.0 before) but his rivals land power shots at a nearly identical rate (34.8 percent now to 34.2 then).

Waste not, want not: The secret to Mayweather’s success lies in his extraordinary efficiency. In his last two appearances against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton he averaged 40.1 and 32.9 punches per round respectively, far below the 58.8 the average welterweight throws. While he landed 43 percent and 39.2 percent overall, he connected on an eye-popping 57.3 percent of his power shots against “The Golden Boy” and 38.9 percent of them against Hatton. At the same time, Mayweather tasted a far lower percentage of his foes’ power shots – 24 percent from De La Hoya and 16.8 percent of Hatton’s. In a sport where the percentage gap between shots landed and punches fielded are in the single digits, Mayweather’s plus-minus ratings of plus-33 against De La Hoya and plus-22.1 against Hatton border on the superhuman.

Compare those incredible plus-minus power figures to those Marquez recorded in his last two fights. Marquez enjoyed a plus-11 rating against the tricky Casamayor in power punches (42 percent to 31) and nine percent overall (31-22) while against Diaz he racked up a plus-seven overall (39-32) and an excellent plus-15 in connected power punches (47-32). This means that Marquez, even at his advanced age, can fight effectively against slick boxers and wade-in aggressors alike. That will come in handy against Mayweather, who will throw his entire arsenal of offensive and defensive maneuvers at the Mexican star.

The “sludge” factor: Like Bernard Hopkins, Mayweather’s defense and countering abilities inhibit foes’ offenses, and if the “Pretty Boy” retains this aspect of his game it may prove to be decisive. Contrast De La Hoya and Hatton’s performances against Mayweather versus the three fights before they faced him. Against Mayweather De La Hoya threw 3.8 percent fewer punches a round (48.9 to 50.8), connected on 28.7 percent fewer (10.2 to 14.3), tried 9.2 percent more power shots (28.4 to 26) but connected on 24.5 percent fewer (6.8 to 9.0). Even more dramatically, Hatton attempted 39.3 percent fewer punches against Mayweather (37.2 to 61.3), landed 70.6 percent fewer (6.3 to 21.4), tried 40.8 percent fewer power shots (30.9 to 52.2) and landed 74.3 percent fewer (5.2 to 20.2).

Diaz’s frenetic pace forced Marquez to average 81.3 punches per round but because Diaz is not the most defensively skilled of fighters, Marquez connected on 39.3 percent of his overall punches and 47.4 percent of his power shots. Against the counter-punching Casamayor – a man who gives all opponents a wide variety of thought-provoking looks – Marquez threw just 46.9 punches per round overall but still landed 42 percent of his 301 power shots. The huge divergence in output suggests that Marquez adjusts his game to the opponent and based on past history look for Marquez’s output to be somewhere between the two extremes because Mayweather will likely force Marquez to take the lead. Against Casamayor, Marquez’s jab landed just 16 percent of the time and look for similarly low numbers against Mayweather. Mayweather’s ability to neutralize the jab will be paramount, for if he can stop Marquez’s jab he will have an easier time stopping everything else.

Prediction: For all the drama beyond the ring, Mayweather is always in impeccable condition. This is not the first time Mayweather has faced peripheral issues, for at one time or another both his uncle and father sat in jail cells during his fights – and he’ll be the first to tell you that his record remains perfect. He is anxious to prove he remains the best in the business – both in the ring and at the negotiating table.

Despite all the buildup, Mayweather has continued his pattern of shrewd matchmaking. Save for the layoff, Mayweather has every conceivable advantage – size, speed, power, ring wear, scar tissue (or the lack of it) and purse size. To top it all off, the fight is taking place in his hometown. In short, the native of America’s biggest gambling town has stacked the deck.

The only question is whether Mayweather will try to make a statement by battering the out-sized Marquez before knocking him out or whether he’ll be content to pick Marquez apart in his usual safety-first manner. He has the dimensions to control the flow and geometry and when that’s the case he wins. Therefore, Mayweather will win a comfortable unanimous decision.

Source: boxingscene.com

Can Mayweather Draw A Crowd?

The unbeaten boxer's return to the ring is no bonanza. But his next fight could be.

For Floyd Mayweather and his handlers, the goals for his Sept. 19 comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez should be simple: make a few bucks and get out of there with your health intact. Oh, yeah--and score enough points to win.

Those are the necessary ingredients for Mayweather's real payday--a potential 2010 showdown against Manny Pacquiao that would be billed as the bout to determine the world's best pound-for-pound fighter. Pacquiao has generally held that distinction since knocking boxing's meal ticket, Oscar De La Hoya, into retirement last December. Pacquiao faces his own test this fall, taking on former junior welterweight champ Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14.

"It would be one of the great fights in history," says Mark Taffet, senior VP of Sports Operations at HBO, which is charging $49.95 a pop for this Saturday's fight, of a potential Pacquiao-Mayweather brawl.

For now, Mayweather (39-0; 25 knockouts) doesn't seem to be getting the kind of traction he anticipated for his return to the ring after an 18-month absence. That's despite an intriguing matchup against Marquez (50-4-1; 37 KO's), a top fighter from the boxing hotbed of Mexico who has shown few signs of slowing down at age 36.

"Our two biggest consumer segments are African-American and Latino," says Taffet. "This is America's No. 1 fighter vs. Mexico's No. 1 fighter, so you've got true mega-fight potential."

But the economy is tough, and boxing's biggest challenger for younger audiences, Mixed Martial Arts, is holding its popular UFC 13 bout in Dallas the same night. Tickets remain available at Las Vegas's MGM Grand Garden Arena, a sure sign that Mayweather-Marquez isn't shaping up to be quite as mega as Taffet hopes. Mayweather's 2007 bout with Oscar De La Hoya sold out in two hours, then drew 2.4 million pay-per-view buys. The fight will be available in 170 movie theaters in the U.S., a sign that the fight's promoters are acquiescing to the reality that some fans will only sign up for a cheaper alternative ($15) to the view from the living room sofa.

Using live gate sales as a gauge for overall interest, the fight figures to resemble the Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton matchup of last May (850,000 PPV buys) more than the any of the million-plus viewers that De La Hoya routinely pulled in. That would likely earn Mayweather, who scored $25 million for the De La Hoya bout, about $8 million this time around. Richard Schaefer, CEO of De La Hoya's management company Golden Boy Promotions, which is representing Marquez, claims that early tracking shows that PPV buys could break the million mark, but that in the end "Anyone's guess is as good as mine."

For HBO, that would mean two premium post-Oscar fights this year drawing solidly without hitting jackpot status. The chance for that comes next year, should Mayweather and Pacquiao square off. Better yet, there's a chance that fight could be held at Yankee Stadium, adding a dash of history and an extra level of interest. The likes of Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali traded blows at the old version of the stadium, in the days before big fights migrated to Vegas.

Sports marketing experts say staging a big bout there could hook casual fans, much like the NHL scored with its annual outdoor baseball stadium game on New Years Day. But unlike hockey, boxing still lacks a regular schedule to follow up a big event with. And the sport still suffers from a plethora of governing bodies that yield too many champions. "It makes a lot of sense, but without doing it on a regular basis, it's only going to do so much," says Patrick Rishe, who teaches sports business at Webster University in St. Louis.

Yankee officials, looking to add events to help pay for their $1.5 billion palace, have publicly expressed interest in adding boxing to a mix that already includes several scheduled college football games.

First, though, both Mayweather and Pacquiao have to win the fights in front of them. And that doesn't figure to be easy. Both opponents--Marquez and Cotto--are highly regarded fighters with legitimate chances to win. Just what boxing doesn't need, since neither has the charisma necessary to attract huge audiences. Mayweather and Pacquaio have more, but not enough for either to step up as the next De La Hoya--unless they're fighting each other. Beyond that, the cupboard is still pretty bare.

Source: forbes.com

Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s return is dotted with controversy

The fighter's legal and financial problems make his challenge against Juan Manuel Marquez even tougher.

Minutes before Manny Pacquiao decked Ricky Hatton in May, Pacquiao's business manager grabbed a ringside chair.

The small talk was that morning's surprise comeback announcement by Floyd Mayweather Jr., who had "retired" a year earlier while atop the pound-for-pound rankings with a 39-0 record -- perfection enhanced in 2007 by a victory over Oscar De La Hoya in boxing's most lucrative event ever.

"Mayweather just shot himself in the head," Pacquiao's business manager, Michael Koncz, assessed. "Now, he has to sell a fight on his own."

If it was an imposing task then for the skilled fighter stuck in a bad-guy's role, doing so in the face of an active criminal investigation and personal financial problems has made the challenge stiffer.

Instead of waiting for the Pacquiao outcome or making a date with world welterweight champion Shane Mosley, Mayweather chose his comeback foe to be Mexico's world lightweight champion, Juan Manuel Marquez, who is best known for his 2003 draw and 2008 split-decision loss to Pacquiao.

"Me fighting Shane Mosley?" Mayweather asked as he stopped in Hollywood on Monday to hype Saturday's bout. "Who wants to see that fight?"

Some are asking the same question about Mayweather-Marquez. Larry Merchant, HBO's boxing analyst, recently e-mailed The Times regarding Mayweather: "Historically, greatness has been determined not by not losing, but by fighting -- and often re-fighting -- the best opponents out there." Marquez, smaller than Mayweather, is a 4-1 underdog.

The cheapest $150 seats that usually sell out within hours in major bouts remained on sale Monday for Mayweather-Marquez. Fight promoter Richard Schaefer said he expects a live gate in excess of $6 million, and predicts the bout will be the most lucrative pay-per-view fight of the year. Pacquiao's Nov. 14 fight against welterweight champion Miguel Cotto is already sold out, promoter Bob Arum noted this week, with nearly $9 million in tickets sold.

Beyond the suspect matchmaking, Mayweather's ability to bridge his brilliant boxing skills to the maximum millions he could collect as one of the world's top fighters is being tested by his associations: to people involved in a shooting last month outside a roller-skating rink where he often takes his children, and to his uncle-trainer Roger Mayweather, who was arrested in April on suspicion of attempting to strangle a female boxer.

"A lot of people have personal problems, why bring ours up?" Mayweather Jr. asked. "Why can't they just say we're a good fighter and trainer? It's crazy."

The praise Mayweather deserves as a fast-moving, defensive tactician is accompanied by a personality that can be abrasive. In past episodes of HBO's reality series, "24/7," hyping his fights, Mayweather embraced the "Money" Mayweather persona, flashing a roll of $100 bills, jewelry and riding in expensive vehicles, and his uncle was portrayed as wacky and comically opinionated.

De La Hoya, a promoter of the fight, contends the drama surrounding Mayweather and his demeanor are a draw.

"Millions watch because they can't wait to see him lose." De La Hoya said. "That's a great thing."

De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions has worked feverishly to sell the bout, scheduling 11 consecutive days of media events to spread word about the fight in addition to the promoter-paid "24/7" series.

But the law enforcement probes into the alleged violence surrounding the Mayweathers have a graver feel than the family's past animated internal friction, and HBO had to address it in this version of "24/7."

"It seems like the chaos around Floyd Mayweather doesn't affect his training regimen or his camp," HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg said. "It's almost like he thrives on it, like trouble is a fly on the wall that can be swatted away."

In a search warrant affidavit, Las Vegas police reported a witness named Damein Bland said that on Aug. 23, Mayweather approached a man named Quincey Williams at a skating rink and "confronted him about a text message Williams had previously sent Mayweather . . . that he hoped he lost his next fight. Mayweather threatened Williams"

Minutes later, according to the police affidavit, Bland said he and Williams saw Mayweather and two others standing in the parking lot next to Mayweather's Rolls Royce. Bland said he saw one of the men, whom he identified as "O.C.," "with a firearm in his hand and a flash coming from the firearm." Police found six gunshot holes in the BMW being used by Bland and Williams, according to court records.

"The facts are Floyd had nothing to do with this . . . he's the most misrepresented athlete in the world," Mayweather's manager, Leonard Ellerbe, said. "We don't condone violence by any means."

Schaefer asked, "How can you blame Floyd? I don't know what he did wrong . . . there's crazy people out there."

Bill Cassell, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, told The Times Wednesday the investigation into the shooting and Mayweather's alleged threat is "ongoing."

There's also financial trouble. News reports have revealed a $6.1-million IRS tax lien against Mayweather Jr., and last week JP Morgan Chase Bank sued the boxer for $167,000 unpaid on a loan after repossessing a $528,000 Mercedes Maybach 57S from him in January.

Mayweather denies being strictly financially motivated to end his 21-month layoff.

"Why can't I come back just because I love boxing?" he asked Monday.

Source: latimes.com

Mayweather continues history of ducking opponents

LAS VEGAS -- As he faced the media for one of the final times before his welterweight showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday, Floyd Mayweather kept his rhetoric the same. He respected Marquez, but he was going to crush him. He respected Manny Pacquiao, but Pacman is not boxing's No. 1 fighter. And when Marquez falls, it will be further proof that Mayweather is one of boxing's all-time great fighters.

But his last argument is dubious. Whenever Mayweather retires -- for good, not that 21-month hiatus he took after defeating Ricky Hatton in 2007 -- history will make his legacy. He will be remembered as an Olympic bronze medalist and a six-time world champion in five different weight classes. He'll be remembered as a slick fighter with impenetrable defense, lightning fast hands and sneaky power. And he'll also be remembered as a flamboyant character whose ability to play the role of the villain boosted the popularity of boxing when the sports landscape was ripe with competitors.

History will not remember him as an all-time great. It won't put him on the pedestal with Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Julio Cesar Chavez. Because to be great, you have to fight the great, and for most of his career Mayweather has staunchly refused to do that.

Mayweather likes to argue that his remarkable skills have created the illusion that he is facing inferior competition. "People say 'how do you feel about not having the Sugar Ray Leonard [type of] opponents?'" said Mayweather. "I do have those types. I just dominate so spectacularly, it doesn't look like it."

But Leonard has wins over Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran. Mayweather's biggest victories have come against an aging Oscar De La Hoya and an undersized Hatton.

Certainly, a lack of quality opponents is a factor. But while there are no Haglers, Hearns or Durans for Mayweather to challenge, there are several solid opponents he has avoided. There was Antonio Margarito, who Mayweather turned down $8 million to fight in 2006. There was Shane Mosley, who has been actively seeking a fight with Mayweather for years. And there is Pacquiao, who has not specifically asked for a fight with Mayweather but does not appear to be someone Mayweather is interested in facing. When asked about Pacquiao on Wednesday, Mayweather once again brought up Pacquiao's 2005 loss to Erik Morales, as if trying to discredit Pacquiao with his past.

Even Marquez, who Mayweather (39-0) will face Saturday at the MGM Grand (HBO PPV, 9 p.m.), is a cop-out. The reigning lightweight champion, Marquez (50-4-1) is rated by most boxing publications among the top three (and in many, the top two) pound-for-pound fighters in the world. With gritty wins over Juan Diaz, Joel Casamayor and Marco Antonio Barrera -- not to mention a controversial loss to Pacquiao -- it's a status Marquez has earned. But Marquez, 36, is adding nine pounds to his 5-foot-7 frame to reach the 144-pound weight limit to fight Mayweather, who is still expected to be the bigger, faster and stronger man.

Talk of Mayweather's future opponents is even more maddening. On Wednesday Mayweather, 32, was non-committal about potential matchups with Pacquiao, Mosley or Miguel Cotto. He told a small group of reporters that he didn't care about who the fans or the press wanted him to fight, that he would choose his own opponent. Judging by his words, that opponent is De La Hoya. During Wednesday's press conference, Mayweather told De La Hoya he would "tap both him and Marquez on the same night" and grinned widely when Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer joked about the retired De La Hoya making a comeback.

"He wants to fight me again, I know he does," said Mayweather. "From the bottom of my heart, I just don't like him."

Facing De La Hoya, who struggled against Steve Forbes before being wiped out by Pacquiao last year, would do little for Mayweather's legacy. But it would do a lot for his bank account. And maybe that's how Mayweather should be remembered: smart, savvy, a man who, when presented with big opportunities, has jumped on them.
And a fighter who, when presented with tough fights, ducked.

Source: sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Against Mayweather, underdog Marquez swings at greatness

LAS VEGAS — When a fighter is as special as Juan Manuel Marquez, it shouldn't take this long for him to reach this level.
In 16 years as a professional, however, Saturday's bout vs. Floyd Mayweather at MGM Grand will be just the second time he has headlined a pay-per-view event (HBO PPV, 9 p.m. ET).


A featherweight for most of his career, this is Marquez' first bout above lightweight (135). The non-title bout is being billed as a welterweight fight even though it'll take place a few pounds below the 147-pound limit.

Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs), the pound-for-pound king before he took a two-year layoff, is a heavy favorite.

"It doesn't matter with me when people say Mayweather (will) win," says Marquez, a Mexico City native who has rarely been an underdog. "I will put my Mexican heart inside the ring."

Until recently, when there was talk of all-time great Mexican fighters, the role call would read, in order, Julio Cesar Chavez, Salvador Sanchez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales.

It wasn't until five years ago that Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs) started to creep into the picture on the heels of a draw in his first fight with Manny Pacquiao.

Marquez was dropped three times in the first round, his nose broken on the final one, but got up to not only finish the 12-round featherweight championship fight but win more rounds against the hard-punching and mythical pound-for-pound king.

In 2007, Marquez finally got a shot at Barrera and won a unanimous decision. He never fought Morales, who fought a trilogy with Barrera from 2000-04, the last two PPV shows.

Marquez, 36, left Bob Arum's Top Rank and signed with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions in 2006.

?All the time I been behind Morales and Barrera. I know it?s my time,? says Marquez of feeling frozen out against his countrymen. ?I?m very angry...Three fights (with) Barrera and Morales? What happened to Marquez? My promoter didn?t give me the opportunities.?

Even though he lost a split decision in a rematch with Pacquiao 18 months ago, Marquez came back to win the lineal lightweight crown, becoming the first to knock out the long dominant but underrated Joel Casamayor.

In February he became the first to KO Juan Diaz in a leading candidate for Fight of the Year.

He expects Mayweather, who has fought as high as 150 pounds, to impose his perceived advantage in strength.

"I think Mayweather is going to come out with everything in the first round. He's not going to wait," Marquez says. "If that happens it's going to be a great fight."

The anticipation is so great for Marquez that he revealed he'll do anything — including drinking his own urine for extra vitamins in HBO's series 24/7: Mayweather/Marquez— to win.

The sight of Marquez downing the yellow liquid in a clear glass without the slightest cringe has created a national buzz. That 24/7 episode is one of the network's top two-rated shows since they began airing before PPV fights two years ago, according to Mark Taffet of HBO PPV.

"A fighter who's lost before, he's got doubt. There's a blueprint on how to beat Marquez," Mayweather says. "There's not a blueprint on how to beat Mayweather.… But I'm not going to drink urine or nothing like that. (That's) crazy."

A win of this magnitude would put Marquez alongside, and maybe even above, his idol, Chavez (107-6-2). "It'll make Mexican people crazy," he says. "Me, too."

No lien: There is no longer an Internal Revenue Service lien on Mayweather's purse, meaning that the IRS will not show up at today's weigh-in to collect the roughly $6 million Mayweather was believed to have owed.

Source: usatoday.com

Mayweather tipped in 'boring' contest

Trainer Freddie Roach, uncannily accurate in his predictions of recent high-profile fights, has forecast a points victory for Floyd Mayweather Jr over Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez on Sunday.

Although Mayweather will be returning to the ring after a 21-month retirement for the non-title welterweight bout, Roach believes the undefeated American holds a significant advantage because of his lighting hand speed and footwork.

"I like Mayweather to win on a decision, although it might be a boring fight because they are both naturally counter punchers," Roach told Reuters in the build-up to the 12-round bout at the MGM Grand.

"Marquez is obviously going to have to take the lead and force the fight but he is more comfortable in the counter-punching mode.

"That is why he did well against (Manny) Pacquiao because Pacquiao was so aggressive at that time. He just travelled right into his game."

Marquez has twice fought Pacquiao, earning a draw when they first clashed in May 2004 before losing his WBA super-featherweight title to the Filipino in a controversial split decision in March 2008.

"Marquez is most effective when he fights a guy coming to him," Roach said of the Mexican, a five-times world champion who has a 50-4-1 career record with 37 knockouts.

Going forward

"Now he's going to fight a runner (in Mayweather) and he's going to be going forward for the first time in a long time.

"It's going to be difficult for him because of Mayweather's speed and movement."

Mayweather, 39-0 (25 KOs), was widely regarded as boxing's best pound-for-pound fighter until he retired from the ring after his 10th round stoppage of Britain's Ricky Hatton in a WBC welterweight title bout in Dec. 2007.

That mythical pound-for-pound tag has since passed to Pacquiao, largely because of his Dec. 2008 defeat of 10-times world champion Oscar De La Hoya and his demolition of Hatton five months later.

On both occasions, Roach was Pacquiao's trainer and he accurately forecast the results of each of those fights - virtually to the round.

While Roach is backing five-division world champion Mayweather to win his 40th professional bout, he is unlikely to be watching the contest on television.

"I'm not really excited about this fight, to be honest, because it's between two counter punchers," Roach said with a smile.

"Styles make fights and, as a match-maker, I think it's a poor choice. But I'm not the match-maker so it's not my fault."

Source:

True Believers

By Steve Kim (Photo © HoganPhotos.com / GBP) - There aren’t many people who believe that Juan Manuel Marquez will defeat Floyd Mayweather on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather is thought to be too big, too strong, too fast and too young for the master counter-puncher who has never fought above 135-pounds. But there are two individuals who will be at the Grand Garden Arena this weekend who are fully expecting a ’ Dinamita’ victory.

Their names are Darryl Walker and Kirk Christiano. If you’ve read my past diary entries, they are better known as,’ Darryl and Kirk’, forever attached like ’Hall and Oates’, ’Ernie and Bert’ and ’RUN DMC’. Many of you have asked about them in the past. They are simply the most ardent followers of Marquez on the planet, bar none. Yeah, some of you will claim to be as big as fans as they are- stop it. The line begins with this pair, everyone else goes behind them.

Ask yourself this, how many of you had your flight booked for Indonesia when Marquez was originally scheduled to face Chris John in December of 2005?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.



It’s one thing to attend a fight at the Madison Square Garden or the Mandalay Bay, but to actually have had solid plans to go to Indonesia? Alas, the fight was post-poned to March of the following year and they would not be able to make the trip. It’s one of the few Marquez fights they have missed this millennium. But the crazy thing is, to them, it wasn’t that crazy of an idea for them to have planned on going in the first place.

" Not really," said Walker," we were pretty committed to going to every single one of his fights, no matter where it was. And they had finally had the date set for December 10Th, I bought me and Kirk tickets to Jakarta on Singapore Airlines to arrive the Monday before the fight and so we were going to go. And to get from there to the island where it was, we had to figure out transportation, assuming we could do it, and it didn’t seem crazy or odd. I could afford it, I had the time- I didn’t have a kid- so it didn’t seem all that crazy to me. I was excited about going and I’m deeply disappointed that I didn’t make it for the real fight."

As the fight was re-scheduled, he didn’t really believe that Marquez would actually fight in this exotic locale for the paltry sum of around $30,000, until Marquez actually arrived in Indonesia that week. And as Walker says that as he got back from Argentina around that time," Kirk and I came within a hair of getting tickets that Monday. He was really in Indonesia."

Marquez dropped a controversial 12-round decision to the local boxer. But the result of that bout doesn’t particularly anger him.

" No, I can’t reconcile myself over the second Pacquiao fight," said Walker, the bitterness still evident in his voice. He and his best friend believe firmly that Marquez easily out-boxed ’the Pac Man’ last year." The Chris John fight, that was in a foreign country. Juan, he didn’t really look like himself that fight. I scored the fight, I watched it on the internet, I had it eight-to-four and that’s with giving every close round to John. But that wasn’t the real Juan Manuel Marquez in that fight and he won the fight. But you’re fighting in another guys hometown- it’s like fighting in Texas."

This story really begins in Oklahoma- yeah, Oklahoma- where Kirk, who hailed from Guymon and Walker from Keyes, met each other as amateur boxers back in the ’80’s, when things weren’t exactly regulated as closely as they are today.

Christiano recalls," We fought in a gym, with a town of 8,000 with holes in the wall, snow blowing through the walls and people would fight for the older gloves because some of the gloves we used to spar with were ten years old and had no padding left."

As Christiano, who boxed alongside his twin brother Don, first laid eyes on Daryl, he didn’t believe that this guy, who had to be driven 60 miles each way to the gym by his father, was actually a boxer.

It’s in settings like this that you meet characters that can only exist in this sport. Christiano recalls the head trainer at the gym being a bit like Clint Eastwood’s character in ’Million Dollar Baby’." Smoked, drank, ate candy all the time, got in bar fights all the time and everyone was scared to death of him. And ’Speed’( which is Walker’s nickname) was hitting the bag and he had his hands down too low and the coach kicks ’Speed’ in the butt and he said,’ Get your hands up. what do you have, crabs?’"

Boxers were plentiful in that region and they could fight up to three times a week. The duo often sparred together. Soon they were off to Oklahoma State University. Mainly because of the boxing club located in Stillwater run by Ralph Friend.

" I wouldn’t say he recruited us, we got recruited because he was really after Kirk’s twin brother, Don." And they boxed through the large majority of their years in school." I didn’t handle losing well," said Walker, who fought till his third year in college," and I lost a lot."

Walker graduated with his bachelors degree in electrical engineering in 1987 and got his masters two years later. Christiano got his diploma in accounting a few years after that( as he must’ve red-shirted). But through it all, they were boxing fanatics. And back then it was another would-be Mexican legend that they pledged their allegiance to.

" We started out before Julio Cesar Chavez was ever a world champion, I said,’ this guys going to be the greatest Mexican fighter of all-time.’ So for years we basically told that to everybody and we followed him when we could," said Christiano." We were in college, didn’t have money but we did go to a couple of his fights late in his career."

He turned out to be a prophet, ’JC Superstar’ was as good as advertised but it was on the night of September 18Th, 1998, after Chavez quit on his stool against Oscar De La Hoya, that they came upon a realization. As they walked out of the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Christiano said to his buddy," We aren’t doing this guy any favors. We were giving him money just to get whuppings, we need to find a new guy to follow."

At that time fighting in anonymity out in Los Angeles under the Forum Boxing banner was a young, fledgling fighter from Mexico City, who was working under the watchful eye of Nacho Beristain.

What’s interesting is that Christiano, who alerted his pal to this burgeoning boxing talent- first saw Marquez in what was a mighty struggle versus Julian Wheeler a few years before in 1995. A fight in which Marquez was basically bailed out late. That wasn’t exactly the type of performance that has people yearning to buy stock in a guy.

" Truth of the matter is he could have easily lost that fight, he was behind, but you could already see the non-Mexican style," said Christiano." At that point, he had almost no weight on his left foot, his left foot was almost half-way in the air, punching perfectly, perfect vision. Big thing about him, if you ever did catch him clean, he always immediately reacted. The one thing you never wanted to do with Juan was piss him off in the ring because he would so quickly react to it."

What these two former boxers love and appreciate about Marquez is the skill and dexterity he shows in the ring.

" I would say that what really drew me to him, Kirk said it best, he’s beautifully brutal. But it’s really that he’s a master," said Walker." You know when you watch most people fight, you can see them setting people up and you can kinda see where they’re going and how many people do you watch, where you just go back and look what the hell happened. And Juan is that guy, you don’t see it coming, you just have to look at the replays to see what the hell happened."

Walker still marvels at the four-punch explosion that sent Manuel Medina down in a heap in a small ballroom at the Mandalay Bay in 2003, when he won his first major title belt. And he’s right, that striking combination couldn’t have been thrown more stealthily or been executed any better than by Bruce Lee, himself. That fight was part of a small independent pay-per-view show produced by Top Rank. It was the second Marquez fight they had attended live. Marquez’s fight eight months before, a tenth round TKO of Hector Marquez in ten rounds at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas was their first.( " And at that fight," recalled Walker," I badgered some Asian guy, asking him if he was Steve Kim." No, it wasn’t me, by the way.)

Soon they were fixtures at all his fights. The only one Walker has missed since then was his match-up versus Rocky Juarez in November of 2007 because the birth of his daughter, which I guess is an acceptable excuse. But they have traveled to Las Vegas, Houston, Grand Rapids, Pittsburgh and Uncasville, Connecticut. But during this stretch, as Marquez played third banana to the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, Marquez really didn’t have much of a fan following even among the Mexicans. But two Caucasian guys- who soon made custom made Marquez soccer jerseys, that they wear to every one of his bouts- stuck out like two sore white thumbs to the fighter himself.

" It didn’t take him very long to figure out, because you remember how unpopular he was, it used to be that he could walk through a casino in a boxing town and nobody would recognize him," Christiano, recalls." It didn’t take him very long at all to figure out that me and ’Speed’ were big fans. We were following him around. When he weighed in for the Marcos Lincona fight, he called ’Speed over- I wasn’t even at the weigh-in- because he recognized him. As soon as he got out of the ring that night, he came straight to me and ’Speed’. So that was like the first time he ever acknowledged us. It was a big thing."

In August of 2006, after scoring a stoppage of Terdsak Jandaeng, in Stateline, Nevada, a group of fans had made their way into a theater for the post-fight press conference. Before Marquez talked about his nights work, he actually pointed out the pair and thanked them for all the years of support. Afterwords, Gary Shaw, who promoted that show, which also featured Marquez’s brother, Rafael, was so impressed that he invited them to dinner with the fighters and the promotional staff at the swanky MontBleu Casino and Resort steakhouse.

" That was pretty awesome but it was also kind of embarrassing because I don’t want to be seen as ’the Marquez guy’, a hanger-on, or the guy who expects anything. I just want to be a fan. I want to buy my tickets to the fight and go watch him fight," said Walker." You know how some people try to clutch on to a guy, they try to rid their fame kinda, so to speak? I just want to appreciate him."

But whenever Marquez sees his boys, he acknowledges them.

" It’s gratifying," admitted Walker," but it’s more gratifying to see him get his due." As he witnessed how Marquez was swarmed by the masses in the aftermath of his rematch with Pacquiao, he knew that he had reached a certain plateau. He was no longer just another guy." I appreciate that more than any shout out towards me."

Let’s make this clear, they are devoted fans, but they aren’t like the characters played by Daniel Stern and Dan Aykroyd in ’Celtic Pride’. They have lives and real responsibilities. Walker, 44, now resides in San Jose, California, is an attorney who specializes in intellectual property patents.( After earning his degree in electrical engineering at his alma mater, he graduated from Santa Clara law school in 1999.) Christiano, lives in Phoenix, Arizona and works for the local phone company.

But make no doubt about it, Marquez and boxing are an important part of their lives. Most of their discretionary income and vacation time is devoted to these pursuits. Because they plan and book their flights and hotel rooms months in advance, there have been times they have been stuck going to fight cards where Marquez’s fights have been scratched. This happened twice, when Marquez was supposed to face Derrick Gainer originally in Los Angeles on the Roy Jones-Julio Gonzalez undercard and a few years later when his bout with Jimrex Jaca was scratched, meaning that they were stuck watching Barrera bludgeon Mzonke Fana in El Paso.

Those who are in their lives know that Marquez is vital to them. Daryl’s significant other, Mirna, has no qualms." Yeah, she knows how important it is and that I’m not going to miss a fight of his." Oftentimes, she accompanies him to fights. Meaning that during these excursions, Walker not only has to pay for another flight, but two flights, as his mother is flown in from Oklahoma to babysit their daughter for that weekend.

Hey, it’s expensive being a Marquez fan. And come Friday night, they will be somewhere inside the MGM Grand, most likely the Rouge, drinking up a storm( they love themselves some ’Tom Collins’), smoking cigars and talking boxing all night. My former colleague, Doug Fischer, and myself have spent many a memorable night- where we don’t remember all that much- with these two. They can drink and smoke like Marquez counter-punches, all night long.

Back in February after Marquez dispatched Juan Diaz, a group of fans and members of the fight community congregated at the bar at the Hilton Americas. As I told these guys of Marquez’s challenge of Mayweather, Christiano, without batting an eye, told me," Yeah, Marquez could use a tune-up fight."

And he meant it.

" ’Speed’ will tell you this, I have a real neurosis when it comes to his fights. You can watch him with Hector Camacho Jr., Donny Lalonde, at any weight and I’ll start developing a neurosis about whether Juan can beat this guy. But then as it comes closer to the fight, I always end up agreeing with ’Speed’ and he always seems to see it the right way. And I just can’t see that you can make a cogent argument against him. I don’t see a scenario where Mayweather wins this fight."

This doesn’t seem to be false bravado. Like the way the ’Super Fans’ believed in their beloved Chicago Bears on that famous ’Saturday Night Live’ skit, they stand by their man.

Walker claims he’s not nervous, instead," I’m excited and the only time I’ve ever been nervous is before a fight to a point where I thought,’ Look, this is a tough fight’ and usually in my head I’m pretty relaxed because I’m confident he’s going to win- like I’m confident he’s going to beat Mayweather- the first Pacquiao fight. I was a little nervous."

As Marquez crashed to the canvas for the third time that night in the opening frame, Walker was still making travel plans for his next outing." I was ready to go to Couer d’Alene, Idaho for his next fight."

But Christiano admits to having a case of the nerves despite his assurances of a Marquez conquest. He knows that they share a minority opinion. Yet, he is undaunted.

" It’s not good for my health when Marquez fights. Starting a couple of days ago, when I start thinking about it, at all, I wont sleep that night. So at the same time I’m supposed to be working eight hours a day, I’m spending an awful lot of time looking for Marquez news. So I’m not going to enjoy the undercard, at all. It’s going to suck.

" I’m not even going to enjoy the fight much but hopefully, I’ll enjoy the aftermath."

Source: maxboxing.com