Mayweather vs. Marquez = Huge Mismatch

This fight is an utter joke. I for one am not in the least bit interested in seeing this bout and watching poor Juan Manuel Marquez get slaughtered. If you people think that Marquez has a chance against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday night then I have some desert property I want to sell you. This is going to be a royal slaughter and if you want to pay to see this farce, it’s on you.

This is cherry picking by Mayweather at its worst. Seriously, this is bad for boxing to have a fight this one-sided. By the way, I hear that the tickets still aren’t sold out for Saturday’s bout at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. And that is really pathetic.

This fight should be sold out if people really cared about it, but clearly people like me are too smart to throw their money away in this circus attraction. The reason why I see this as a gross mismatch is simple. Marquez is older, smaller, slower and has much less boxing skills than Mayweather.

Marquez is 36-years-old and has been through a number of hard bouts in the past two years and taken a lot of punishment against Joel Casamayor, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Diaz. Marquez probably should have won all three of the bouts, but got ripped off in the fight against Pacquiao last year in March, losing by a 12 round split decision in a poorly scored fight.

Saturday’s fight matches two counter punchers up against each other and it will be interesting to see who does the attacking in the fight. I doubt it will be Mayweather, I can say that much. Mayweather may be the bigger fighter of the two, but he’s not into taking chances and will probably do what he always does, in other words, sit back and wait for Marquez to come to him so that he doesn’t need to be the one to take any chances.

The pay isn’t fair, because Mayweather is getting a huge $15 million dollar payday, I hear compared to a much smaller amount for Marquez. I don’t think Mayweather is worth that kind of cash, not in this fight he is. This isn’t a mega fight to me.

I consider a mega fight one where there are two evenly matched fighters, like if Mayweather were to be fighting Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito or Paul Williams. I consider those mega fights because I consider them as fighters that could fight Mayweather on even terms pretty much and wouldn’t be a t huge weight size, and skill disadvantage like Marquez will be against Mayweather.

William may be a light middleweight right now, but he only moved up in weight because all the other welterweights were afraid to fight him. Williams could move back down at a moments notice if Mayweather would show interest in fighting him.

Are you kidding? Mayweather won’t fight Williams. Mayweather will never fight Williams, at least not in this lifetime, even though Williams has fought most of his career up until recently at welterweight. Mayweather fans love to say that it wouldn’t be fair because Williams is much taller than Mayweather.

If that’s the case, then why is Mayweather fighting Marquez? Answer me that? Mayweather has freakishly much longer arms than Marquez, almost six inches longer. If Mayweather fought Williams, then Mayweather would be the one at the huge disadvantage. If it’s fair for a fight for Marquez, then it should be the same for a fight with Williams.

Of course Mayweather won’t fight Williams, nor will he fight Joshua Clottey, Cotto, Margarito or Mosley. This is called cherry picking. And the worst part is that boxing fans still have to pay the same kind of big money that they would be paying if Mayweather to fight someone his own size and ability.

That is such a joke. It’s like having a grand chess champion go to elementary school to beat up on some poor 6th grader in chess.

Mayweather has everything going for him in this fight with Marquez – speed, age, weight, boxing skills, taller, longer reach, power, accuracy, experience against top level opposition and home crowd. Need I say more?

Source: boxingnews24.com

PHOTOS: Mayweather vs Marquez Final Press Conference

Does Marquez pass eye test?

LAS VEGAS – I listened to Juan Manuel Marquez on Tuesday afternoon try to explain the nutritional benefits of drinking a glass of his own urine two times a day.

I listened to another guy talking about how throwing boulders while climbing a mountain near Mexico City would convert Marquez into a welterweight.

Marquez’s highly regarded trainer, Nacho Beristain, will give you a bewildering assortment of measurements he’s made that have convinced him that Marquez is ready to leap from the lightweight division and its 135-pound weight limit to welterweight to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday in an HBO pay-per-view bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Me, I’m not so sure Marquez is a welterweight. I know he’s a phenomenal featherweight and a superb super featherweight and a pretty solid lightweight. As to Marquez’s insistence that he’s big enough to hand Mayweather his first defeat in 40 professional fights, well, I’m just not so sure I’m buying that.

It sounds like a lot of hocus pocus.

Drinking pee is not for me and, as far as I know, Marquez isn’t going to be able to hit Mayweather with any of those boulders he was tossing on that mountain.

I came up with my own test to determine whether Marquez is really going to be a welterweight when he steps into the ring on Saturday or whether he’s just a lightweight who’s packed on a few pounds to look good with his shirt off.

I used the simple eye test.

I looked at Marquez and he hardly looked like a welterweight to me. This is a guy who, almost exactly 10 years ago to the day, fought in a championship bout on the same card as Mayweather at a casino in Las Vegas.

On Sept. 11, 1999, Marquez lost a 12-round decision to Freddie Norwood at the Mandalay Bay in a fight for the World Boxing Association featherweight title. In the main event on that show, Mayweather retained his World Boxing Council super featherweight belt by thrashing Carlos Gerena.

From the day he turned pro in 1993 until the end of 2006, Marquez was a featherweight. He moved up to super featherweight in 2007 for the opportunity to make a big payday against fading Marco Antonio Barrera. He fought there twice more and then, a year ago, with no prospects of a third fight with Manny Pacquiao, he moved to lightweight to take on another fading veteran, Joel Casamayor.

He won the belt that night with a typically efficient performance, then he defended it in February against Juan Diaz.

Now, here he is preparing to fight as a welterweight for the first time in his career.

About 45 minutes before Marquez sauntered into the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday, I stood immediately to Mayweather’s left. When Marquez walked into the room, the difference was stark.

Marquez wasn’t as broad at the shoulders or as big in the arms or as thick throughout his body.

My eyes told me the story: Mayweather is a welterweight; Marquez is a make-believe one.

Now, I’d rather have a talented, gifted smaller man on my side than a heavier, less-skilled man.

And I’m the first to admit, I’ve been far from perfect at understanding the impact when a fighter moves up in weight. I was convinced Oscar De La Hoya was far too big for Pacquiao when they fought last year.

I thought that while Pacquiao might, indeed, be the more gifted fighter, De La Hoya was so much bigger and stronger that those advantages would overcome whatever edges in skill Pacquiao possessed.

Well, we know how that one turned out. Pacquiao put on the performance of his life, and De La Hoya looked like he didn’t belong in the ring. Pacquiao stopped him in the eighth round.

On Tuesday, De La Hoya was trying to make the case for Marquez against Mayweather. I asked him about his fight with Pacquiao and whether the outcome was the result of Pacquiao being so good, him being at the end of the line or a combination of those and/or other factors.

“Pacquiao is good, there’s no doubt about it,” De La Hoya said. “And he’s fast. I thought there were 10 of him in there. I’m looking here and he’s over there. And I’m reacting to a punch from this way and there’s another coming at me from that way.

“Truthfully, he didn’t hit hard. He didn’t really hurt me. But the punches were so fast and they were coming from everywhere, it felt like there were 10 of him, seriously.”

Marquez talked Tuesday about his work to improve his speed. He insisted that by the end of his training camp, he had improved his speed considerably and was convinced he was as fast as Mayweather.

Basically what we have here is a guy who has to add pounds to his body to make the weight and who has to drill to try to add the speed.

It’s happened in this decade. Shane Mosley jumped from lightweight to welterweight in 2000 and defeated De La Hoya. Roy Jones moved from light heavyweight to heavyweight in 2003 and bested John Ruiz.

And Pacquiao went from lightweight to welterweight last year to beat De La Hoya.

So there is precedent for a smaller guy moving up and being successful.

But in each case – Mosley, Jones and Pacquiao – the guy moving up was decidedly faster.

On Saturday, the bigger man will be Floyd Mayweather.

On Saturday, the faster man will be Floyd Mayweather.

On Saturday, the stronger man will be Floyd Mayweather.

That doesn’t guarantee him a win, but it’s a hell of a start.

Methinks Marquez is going to find that hitting Mayweather is a lot tougher than throwing a boulder up a mountain.

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Mayweather-Marquez meeting respectful, for the most part

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is rapidly approaching his official return to boxing this Saturday to face Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

On Wednesday, Mayweather Jr. took another step closer by addressing media members for the final time at the pre-fight press conference.

For his final official statements from the microphone, he thanked his sponsors and was surprisingly respectful of his opponent.

“It’s been a tremendous camp, there’s been a lot of hard work and dedication,” Mayweather Jr. said. “In the sport of boxing, if you want to go down as a legend you have to face the best in your era. At this particular time, Marquez is one of the best fighters in my era.

“He’s a hell of a fighter. Counter-puncher. Good boxer. But I’ve been around the sport and faced many styles. I’ll adjust and adapt when I get in that ring Saturday night.”

Marquez was also brief and thanked his native country of Mexico for its support.

“I don’t like talking outside of the ring, I just want to say three things,” he said. “One: I prepared myself very hard, physically and mentally. Two: I want to thank all the Mexican people for their support in me. Three: I want to dedicate this fight to all the Mexican people around the world.”

While the press conference went off mostly with no harsh words, there were a few exceptions.

Some people noticed that former boxer and president of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya, was taking pictures from his seat on-stage.

During his time at the microphone, he explained why.

“People are wondering why I’m taking pictures,” De La Hoya said. “I want to capture the moment when Juan Manuel Marquez dethrones the king…”

To which Mayweather Jr. interrupted from his seat, “You couldn’t do it.”

De La Hoya, who lost a split decision to Mayweather Jr. in 2007 turned to him and said, “No, I couldn’t do it. But I’ll tell you one thing — Marquez is ready. I want to freeze this moment of history in the making.”

Roger Mayweather, Mayweather Jr.’s uncle and trainer, also didn’t raise his hand before interrupting Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe after Ellerbe said, “There are a number of great trainers in the sport…”

“Yeah? Great?” Roger said. “I know you’re talking about me. What you need to say is, there are other trainers out there. Listen, here’s how boxing goes. Don’t steal my mic, I’m gonna spread something to you real quick.

“Great is Michael Jordan. Great is Floyd Mayweather. That’s what great is. The dudes behind me, I don’t worry about the dudes behind me because I know they don’t know (expletive) anyway. If they knew what I knew, they’d be ahead of me. So I don’t know about great, don’t give them credit for being great.”

For the most part however, both fighters’ camps showed respect for one another.

Mayweather Jr. even raised from his seat to shake hands with Marquez’s head trainer, Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Beristain, after Beristain said he admired the fighter and his family.

“There’s not too many fighters that I’ve had the privilege to face like Floyd Mayweather,” Beristain said through an interpreter. “I want to give the highest esteem to his team. They’ve got a great athlete and a very good fighter. His uncle and father are great trainers that I admire, and I admire him very much.”

Beristain, who also trained De La Hoya for his fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2008, went on to say that despite his enormous respect for Mayweather Jr., he feels he can be beat.

“Juan Manuel Marquez is a great athlete in his own right, with a great technique and work ethic,” he said. “We’re worked so hard for this fight and we have the belief we have a chance to win.”

Source: lasvegassun.com

Flamboyant Mayweather takes humble approach with Marquez

By J. Michael Falgoust, USA TODAY
LAS VEGAS — In the midst of the cameras, microphones and questions, Floyd Mayweather Jr. pauses to take inventory of what's ahead.
Saturday's showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez at MGM Grand is important (HBO PPV, 9 p.m. ET), as is the TV interview he's booked to do next, but neither comes before his 9-year-old daughter, Iyanna.

"I've got to pick up my daughter from school," he says, pausing to alert his publicist, who offers to find his mother to do it. "Don't worry about my Mom I'm picking my daughter up today. She's been going to school for a while and I haven't picked her up yet."

FAMILY TIES: Mayweather ties start to bind
This is the fighter, and the man, Mayweather wants to project: A thoughtful, considerate, responsible 32-year-old father of four, dressed down in a white T-shirt, sneakers and camoflauge pants. Not the cursing, trash-talking multi-division champion, flaunting the cost of his home, designer boots or visits to strip clubs.

"(Marquez) respects my fight game. He told me that a long time ago," says Mayweather of the low-key final press conference Wednesday, where he rose to shake hands with Marquez's trainer as the pair showered one another with compliments. "It's just a lot of fighters in the past I talk trash to have really disrespected me. … So I say bad things."

Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs), regarded as the mythical No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter before leaving in 2007, has passed every test with flying colors.

In Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs) he'll meet not only the best Mexico has to offer, but one of the sport's top three fighters pound-for-pound who is as skilled with both hands as he is gritty.

Mayweather's biggest challenge of the night, however, may be this: Can he carry a major PPV show without a major foil?

Marquez has only headlined a PPV card once, a 2008 decision loss to Manny Pacquiao that drew 405,000 buys.

Before Mayweather fought De La Hoya— the greatest draw in PPV history — Mayweather hadn't exceeded 375,000 buys.

"I feel like I always was a pay-per-view star," says Mayweather, whose win vs. De La Hoya drew a record 2.4 million buys and almost 1 million with Hatton. "Marquez has a good following with his Mexican people. He's going to have a lot of support."

This bout was originally announced for July 18 but pushed back to Mexican Independence weekend. Since then the push to grow this into a superfight by co-promoter Golden Boy Promotions has been substantial:

•In conjunction with NCM Fathom, the card will be shown via closed circuit in 170 theaters nationwide, with $12.50 to $15 suggested ticket prices.

•Three major sponsors are on board that weren't for De La Hoya-Mayweather: Quaker State, Affliction clothing and AT&T's first venture into boxing.

•Tecate is offering a $25 mail-in rebate on the $49.95 show for viewers, with purchase of an 18-pack or larger, and a $30 rebate for food purchases at participating stores nationwide.

•An aggressive campaign through social networking sites and in the urban dotcom markets, BET.com, JayZtv.com and Allhiphop.com, among others, to reach out to Mayweather fans.

HBO is in on it, too, using this fight as a launching pad for its new approach to saturating the marketplace with digital content.

It's all part of "the hunger to go younger," says Mark Taffet, senior vice president at HBO PPV. "We're moving in a completely different direction than what we were doing a year ago."

Money matters:

Marquez's base salary is $2 million for the bout. TV undercard combatants Chris John will get $50,000; Rocky Juarez $80,000; Michael Katsidis $125,000; and Vicente Escobedo $90,000.

Mayweather's purse won't be known until Friday because of deductions, says Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The IRS is expected to attend to collect back taxes. According to Kizer, the agreed upon total is "unofficially $5 million."

Source: usatoday.com

MAYWEATHER VS. MARQUEZ FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

FLOYD MAYWEATHER


"To go down as a legend, you have to face the best in your era and Marquez is one of the best in my era.

"I have been around the sport and I have experienced many different styles, and I will adjust and adapt. Now I am back and September 19 is another big day for me.

"You can expect blood, sweat and tears on Saturday night. I predict one hell of a fight.

"I have a lot of respect for Marquez. He hasn't said anything bad about me, so I have nothing bad to say about him. How can I say something bad about someone who respects my fight game?

"This isn't going to be difficult. Nothing is difficult. I just had to get back into the groove. I had to keep working hard. I love to box. I love to go into combat.

"Roger watches all of the tapes, but Roger doesn't tell me how I am going to beat him (Marquez). He says to me that I just need to fight and adapt. And if I ask him, 'How am I going to do that?' Roger responds, 'because you are great.'

"I am not like other fighters. Other fighters have been beat. There is no blue print to beat me. There is a blue print to beat Marquez, because he has been beaten before.

"I am a strong individual and only the strong will survive. I have the skills to pay the bills. It is not about who is the biggest. It is about who is the most skilled. When I get in the squared circle, I am going to do what I have to do to win."

JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ

"Everyone knows I don't like talking outside the ring, but I want to say three things. First, I am prepared physically and mentally. Second, I want to thank all of the Mexican people for supporting me and third, I want to dedicate this fight to the Mexican people who are going to be here and all of the Mexican people around the world.

"I want to thank God for helping me train very hard with no injuries. It is a great challenge for me and I am training very hard for this fight.

"In my mind, Floyd Mayweather is the number one pound-for-pound fighter, and to be number one, you have to fight number one.

"Mayweather is illusive and a counter puncher. I am going to go after him. There is a chance he might try to come after me, but I know I am going to go after him.

"This fight is a different weight for me. I worked very hard. I built up my speed and my strength.

"I know people are betting against me, but it doesn't matter to me. I have my mind and I have my concentration, and I have the motivation to win.

"This fight is the most important fight of my career, and I am going to put everything in the ring.

"I don't like to make predictions; I let my fists do the talking."

ROGER MAYWEATHER, Mayweather's Trainer

"Do you know what great means? Great is Michael Jordan, Floyd Mayweather, Muhammad Ali, Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Robinson."

NACHO BERISTAIN, Marquez' Trainer

"There are not too many fighters who have had the privilege of fighting a great athlete like Floyd Mayweather. Now it is my fighter's turn. Juan Manuel Marquez is a great athlete in his own right. He has great technique and work ethic in everything that he does.

"I also want to say that Juan Manuel Marquez and I have always admired Mayweather because he is such a bright fighter and outstanding fighter. I feel that he is the number one pound-for-pound fighter along with Bernard Hopkins.

"We have worked so hard for this fight and we believe that we have the chance to win.

"I want to give the highest esteem to Mayweather's team because they have a great athlete and a great fighter and I hope that he stays humble. He has a great personality and I admire him very much. His uncle and father are great trainers and I admire them as well. Me myself being a trainer, I admire him very much."

LEONARD ELLERBE, CEO of Mayweather Promotions

"This has been the best promotion. Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions working together hand in hand. When you have two teams coming together it is always going to work.

"The king is back. That is why we are all here.

"Floyd Mayweather what can I say? Since he announced his return to the sport of boxing, there has been tremendous buzz. No matter where you look, people are talking about Mayweather vs. Marquez.

"We have introduced a number of different platforms for this fight. There are many new avenues for consumer awareness so there won't be one person out there who is not aware of this great event."

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, President of Golden Boy Promotions

"This fight is going to be the biggest fight of the year. There is no doubt about it. The people are anxious, especially since it is falling on the Mexican Independence Day weekend. It is a special night because all of the world will be witnessing an upset.

"I am up here taking pictures from the stage, because I want to capture the moment when Juan Manuel Marquez dethrones the king. I couldn't do it, but I will tell you one thing--Marquez is ready. I want to freeze the moment of history in the making.

"The sport of boxing deserves this. We are showing the world that boxing is alive and well. We are selling unprecedented pay-per-view numbers and live gate numbers. We aren't up here gloating that Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions are doing great things for ourselves, we are doing these things for the sport of boxing. We are showing the whole world that boxing is here to stay.

"I want to tell Mr. Nacho Beristain that I am sorry that I failed you. I didn't do you right in the ring. You are an amazing trainer. You have done a tremendous job working with 18 world champions, and I wanted to take the opportunity to say that to you.

"Marquez always does what is necessary not only to win fights, but to please his loyal fans. He is not your typical Mexican warrior. He comes in with no holds barred and attacks. He has some good school behind him. That is what makes this fighter different from every body else.

"Marquez is the number one Mexican fighter today, which is a big deal because you have had great fighters coming out of Mexico in the past who have created a loyal following throughout the country and that is what Juan Manuel Marquez has today."

RICHARD SCHAEFER, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions

"Mexican Independence weekend has really become THE fight weekend in Las Vegas. We (Golden Boy Promotions) have been here regularly on this great weekend in boxing bringing the biggest fights to fans around the world.

"This amazing promotion is going to conclude on Saturday. On HBO 24/7 we saw the vast differences between these two fighters in the way they train and the way they live.

"On Saturday night, Juan Manuel Marquez will carry the hopes and dreams of almost 100 million Mexicans on his shoulders and into the ring. A few minutes later, Mayweather the American superstar will make his entrance. Mayweather is here to put all doubters to rest and to make a statement that 'Yes I am still number one.'

"There is a tremendous amount of marketing power behind this fight with an excess of 700 million impressions. I couldn't believe it myself, I had to double check. It is true. There are over 700 million impressions out there for this fight.

"Mexicans around the world are looking to this fight. It is like when the Pope visited Mexico City. It is of that magnitude. This is like their religion.

"There was a poll on Yahoosports.com. Within 24 hrs of the poll being posted, 55,000 people responded. Forty-six percent chose Marquez to win, and 51 percent believe Mayweather will win. As you can see, the public knows this is going to be a close fight and it is going to be a great fight.

"Come and see the fight here at the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas."

MARK TAFFET, Senior Vice President of HBO Pay-Per-View

"When Oscar de la Hoya retired, people said 'What will boxing do now? What is going to happen next?' The answer is simple. Look at what has taken place in 2009. It is evidenced that the best is yet to come. We are in the midst of one of the greatest eras in the sport's history. This era's great welterweights are going to leave their mark on the history of the sport.

"There is no bigger story in boxing and one of the biggest stories in sports this year is Floyd Mayweather's return to boxing.

"America's number one fighter. Mexico's number one fighter. The two biggest fan bases.

Mayweather has ignited the urban markets the same way that De La Hoya ignited the Hispanic markets.

"HBO's 24/7 draws new fans to the sport of boxing in order to ensure boxing's future. The Mayweathers are must see TV that have our fans glued to their television sets. Juan Manuel Marquez has created an identity with fans that he didn't have before. And I want to say that we are all intrigued by your (Marquez') interesting training techniques.

"We have made it so that wherever consumers go, watch listen, read, tweet, text, they are going to be surrounded by Mayweather and Marquez."

RICHARD STURM, President of Sports and Entertainment for MGM Mirage

"MGM Grand welcomes the return of Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions as we end the summer and welcome Mayweather back to the ring. We are also thrilled to host the return of one of the sports' favorites in Juan Manuel Marquez.

"Saturday night will be a memorable one for fans as Floyd Mayweather returns to the ring after a brief retirement. He has always called MGM Grand home after having fought here five previous times."

Source: philboxing.com