Simply put, Floyd Mayweather was too fast, too quick, too mobile and ultimately much too big for Juan Manuel Marquez this past weekend at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. While the Mexican was brave and courageous in going the 12-round distance, Mayweather showed that despite his time away from the ring, he is still among the most gifted defensive wizards the game has ever seen.
” I thought I was a little rusty,” said a typically un-modest Mayweather, afterwords at the post-fight press conference. But he proved once again that hitting him cleanly is about as easy as deciphering a Rubik’s Cube while blindfolded. In fact, it might be easier to rob Ft. Knox than hit this guy with a combination. The great Barry Sanders wishes he was this elusive during his prime.
Marquez tried to use all his guile and craftiness to lay counter-punching traps only to find that you simply can not counter, what you can not catch. Because while he gave up advantages in size, what was overlooked by many pundits was that he was also giving up a huge advantage in speed and reflexes. While many of Marquez’s punches seem to drag along as if they were thrown under water, Mayweather’s sharp jab and cutting right hands had the precision of a fine surgeon working a scalpel during surgery.
It was Mayweather’s mastery that will be remembered most on this September evening. But one must not forget the bravery of Marquez, who despite being out-sized and out-gunned from the very beginning never wavered in his effort. Facing insurmountable odds, he was gallant in defeat.
But he was- for really the first time in his Hall-of-Fame career- conclusively defeated in the ring, losing by the scores of118-109, 120-107 and 119-108. On a day when the Washington Huskies stunned the sports world by defeating the mighty Trojans of USC in Seattle, there would be no upsets of this sort in the desert. Any thoughts of Marquez pulling off the improbable were quickly evaporated after he was sent down to the canvas from a counter left-hook in the second frame. The rest of the fight was just window dressing.
There’s no doubting Mayweather’s dominance. What has to be questioned is just how much credit should he get for beating a much smaller man. Immediately after the fight, a quote from Manny Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, was sent out by ace publicist Fred Strernburg, that congratulated Mayweather for beating the best lightweight in the world. And it’s a valid point, up until this fight( for which he weighed in at 142-pounds), Marquez had never fought above the lightweight limit. In his previous two fights he had his struggles versus Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz at 135-pounds.
Then at the Friday weigh-in, as Mayweather came in at 146, Mayweather was forced to pay Marquez an addition $600,000( $300,000 per pound) for failing to make the contracted weight of 144. As they stepped into the ring, they looked like two fighters who should have been competing in separate weight classes.
Marquez would say,” I’m a little upset but I tried my best. The weight was a big problem. I think there was a 20 pound difference in weight. I’m not trying to make excuses. I came to fight 12 hard rounds and a lot of people thought I was going to get knocked out.”
If Pacquiao is considered the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound. Then I guess Mayweather is the best boxer in the world pound-for-over-two-pounds( the contracted weight).
” I’m always in a no-win situation no matter how you look at it,” Mayweather said of his detractors.” If I’m small and I beat a big man, then I was too fast for him. Then the next fighter is over-the-hill. There’s always an excuse. When am I going to get my just due and they say Floyd Mayweather is just a great fighter?”
There’s no denying his talent and by most standards, he has to be considered a great fighter. But there’s a growing suspicion that for all his talents as a prizefighter, he’s an even better manager. This match-up with Marquez being a prime example. But if he should take on a Shane Mosely in the near future and defeat him, it would be hard for anyone to be critical of him.
In what was the most compelling and competitive situation of the night inside the ring for Mayweather, his post-fight interview with Max Kellerman of HBO Sports was interrupted by Mosley, who was uncharacteristically bold in stating his case to get ’Money’. Some believe the scene was staged by Golden Boy Promotions( perhaps it was) but it was clear that this ambush bothered Mayweather, who’s chat with Kellerman was soon ended and he quickly made his way out of the ring in a huff, obviously perturbed by what had just taken place.
” I simply told Shane, when it’s his time to shine, I don’t get in the ring, grab the mic and get in the way. When it’s their night, we should let it be their night. I have respect for them as fighters. Tonight is not Mosley’s night,” said a peeved Mayweather.
In that regard he was correct. This was indeed, his night.
MARKET VALUE?
Just my opinion, but Mayweather’s relatively safe, defensive style is not for everybody. It’s something that is very nuanced and wont ever be particularly appreciated by the masses. But this much is clear, in terms of his name recognition and popularity, he’s come a long ways from his 2006 pay-per-view bout versus Carlos Baldomir, which was a dreary affair that generated almost no buzz.
No, despite what Golden Boy Promotions or his sycophants like Leonard ’Yessir’be say, this fight wasn’t a sell-out and tickets could be had for well-below face value( a pair of my friends got $1,000 seats for $600) before the fight. But there was still an announced crowd of over 13,000. And according to people involved in the promotion, this fight- from the pay-per-view perspective- was tracking better than the Pacquiao-Hatton fight, which did over 900,000 buys. Now, that has to be taken with a grain of salt and most observers believe that this fight will not reach those lofty figures.
They may have not hit a grand slam, but they certainly didn’t strike out, either. And give credit to Golden Boy, they marketed and promoted the hell out of this event. It looks like they made a dollar out of fifteen cents.
But whether you love him or hate him, Mayweather has carved out his niche as an attraction and that profile will only grow if he decided to share the marquee with the like of Pacquiao, Cotto or Mosley in the near future.
GOLDEN BOUTS
It’s interesting to note that while Mosley was bum-rushing Mayweather’s post-fight interview, that it looks more and more like he will be facing Andre Berto on January 30Th at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas according to sources.
It also looks like the return of Victor Ortiz might happen on December 12Th against a still-to-be-determined opponent. Also on that card would be IBF jr. lightweight champion Robert Guerrero taking on either Humberto Soto or WBO 130-pound belt-holder, Rocky Martinez. If this doubleheader comes to fruition, there’s a very good chance it takes place in San Jose, California, as an HBO ’Boxing After Dark’ telecast.
FINAL FLURRIES
The future of Marquez isn’t clear, but two options are Ricky Hatton in England or going back all the way down to 135 to face Michael Katsidis, who captured the WBO interim title by smothering Vicente Escobedo….Did anyone else go,’Huh?’ when Mayweather told Kellerman that there was too much talk about his money and stuff?….Over the weekend Golden Boy announced the signing of WBA jr. lightweight titlist Jorge Linares. This guy is an incredible talent, who should be on pound-for-pound lists, sooner rather than later….I was told by a good source that Marquez, in order to receive his $600,000 penalty clause, had to waive a provision in the fight contract that called for Mayweather to be fined an addition million dollars by the Nevada State Athletic Commission- of which half would have gone to Marquez. If true, why give that up?….It’s official, ’the Curse of Norm Chow’ is haunting USC…..Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez are the best thing to happen to the New York Jets in a long time….If you are experiencing any technical difficulties with Maxboxing, please let me know at [email protected] and I will let the proper authorities know…..Twitter.com/stevemaxboxing…..
