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This'll be up on Omegaboxing.com, hence why the "Matt 'Plaster of Paras' Column" stuff and why it's more of an article opening. Still, it's long as hell and addresses pretty much everything that has to do with Mayweather's comeback against Marquez....warning this is long, probably the longest I've ever written:
Matt Plaster of Paras Column: A Floyd Mayweather story.
Ah Floyd Mayweather Jr…The man constantly gets the boxing world’s attention doesn’t he? Whether it’s discussions on messages boards, being “flashy”, or announcing retirements, he sure has the boxing world wrapped around him. Infact, Mayweather is most likely coming back now. His next opponent will be Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18th. Marquez has already signed the contract and now all Mayweather has to do is sign his part.
The fight, according to Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com, will take place under the limit of 145 pounds and somewhere close to there. It’ll probably take place at 144 or 143 depending on the specifics. The fight itself has had many different reactions of fans. Some accuse Mayweather of ducking legitimate challenges, some think Mayweather is being ridiculous for not just coming down to 140 since he walks around at 150 pounds, and even some diehard Mayweather fans have accused Marquez of being a “coward” for calling out Mayweather and not willing to go to fight him at 147 pounds. When talking Mayweather-Marquez, keep these things in mind:
The size of Mayweather is exaggerated:
Many people are saying this fight is a mismatch due only to Mayweather’s size. When looking at the tale of the tape, Mayweather is 5’8, while Marquez is around 5’6. Reach Mayweather has a significant advantage here, having a longer reach of 72 inches. The main focus for this fight revolves around the weight. Mostly everyone agrees the fight should happen at 140. Still, I think it’s fine if it happens at 144 or 143. Marquez will not drastically lose that big of an advantage going up three extra pounds he’d be willing to go up. That would be eight pounds from his current weight class, but even if the fight was at 140 pounds, Marquez overnight would still rehydrate to 145 or somewhere around there. Mayweather will probably come in at 144 and go back up to somewhere around 148. The weight is only a 3 pound difference and it won’t be that much of a difference in the ring.
However…..
The fight does nothing for Mayweather’s legacy except add a noteable name:
Fans should not confuse this fight for a creditable opponent of Mayweather’s career that he needs to truly back up his ATG claim. While the size itself is not that much of a difference and Marquez is pound for pound #2 in the world today, Marquez does not do as well moving up in weight. He isn’t like Manny Pacquiao where he retains most of his speed everytime. Infact, it’s just the opposite. Everytime Juan Manuel Marquez has moved up in weight, he’s lost speed and a bit of his timing. This may have to do with older age also, but at 144 Marquez would lose even more speed then he has at 135. This makes the fight unfair for Marquez. Even at 140, It wouldn’t do amazingly that much for Mayweather’s long term resume except a noteable name, who wasn’t fighting in his prime weight class (which is 126).
Looking to the fight itself…..
The fight itself is a mismatch:
There is nothing Juan Manuel Marquez does better then Floyd Mayweather Jr. A pretty bold statement, but when you look at it…it’s pretty true. Defense? No. Left Hook? No. Right Hand? No. Combination Puncher? Maybe, but no.
Thay isn’t the only reason why the fight won’t be competitive. Along with Marquez’s decrease of skills for going up in weight, Marquez also has trouble with slick counter punchers. While I had him beating both John and Barrera by pretty big margins, he was open to counters from them. Mayweather, who won’t be intimidated by a smaller man, will be more willing to throw combinations also. He’ll be able to throw counters and then follow them up with accurate combinations. There is also the problem of Marquez hitting Floyd. Marquez has some great timing, but Floyd’s defense would give Marquez major problems. Add that with slower reactions because Marquez moves up in weight for this fight, it’s not all that competitive. Marquez might have a chance of landing some things because of Floyd’s inactivity, but don’t count on it.
The question now is….
Does that make Floyd a “bitch” for fighting someone that isn’t at 147?
A popular trend and perhaps warranted is accusing Mayweather of ducking fighters. Whether it was Antonio Margarito (he did not), Miguel Cotto (this you have a better shot of arguing), or somebody else, Floyd Mayweather has always been accused of ducking fighters since 2006 or so. Now, does that make Floyd a coward for fighting JMM and not Shane Mosley?
He isn’t a coward in my opinion, but his legacy definitely suffers for this. In his first fight back since his “retirement”, he shouldn’t be expected to fight Shane Mosley, who is a more dangerous fighter then Juan Manuel Marquez, but it still looks bad that he is fighting someone not as good as Mosley in that weight class.
Mayweather vs. Marquez is a fight to set up for the mega of all fights, Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather. Pacquiao-Mayweather is a much better much up then Marquez-Floyd (will be explained why at a different time) and easily the best win of Mayweather’s career. Still, Mayweather is criticized for not fighting top welterweights particularly when he was the Welterweight champ and will probably be criticized for not fighting welterweights afterwards too.
My biggest criticism of Mayweather is not fighting Miguel Cotto after he fought Ricky Hatton. He was the Welterweight Champion who was expected to defend against the top contender, but he walked away. Now he’s back, but it’s now up to Floyd to determine and improve his legacy. Marquez is a step, but not a very big step.
He needs names like Pacquiao, who would be the toughest fight of his career, and a Cotto-Mosley 2 winner to truly sum up his career. Mayweather’s close, but he’s not there quite yet. Marquez-Mayweather is a solid fight, but overall it’s not the toughest fight Mayweather could be taking and his fans need to remember that.
Ah Floyd Mayweather Jr…The man constantly gets the boxing world’s attention doesn’t he? Whether it’s discussions on messages boards, being “flashy”, or announcing retirements, he sure has the boxing world wrapped around him. Infact, Mayweather is most likely coming back now. His next opponent will be Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18th. Marquez has already signed the contract and now all Mayweather has to do is sign his part.
The fight, according to Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com, will take place under the limit of 145 pounds and somewhere close to there. It’ll probably take place at 144 or 143 depending on the specifics. The fight itself has had many different reactions of fans. Some accuse Mayweather of ducking legitimate challenges, some think Mayweather is being ridiculous for not just coming down to 140 since he walks around at 150 pounds, and even some diehard Mayweather fans have accused Marquez of being a “coward” for calling out Mayweather and not willing to go to fight him at 147 pounds. When talking Mayweather-Marquez, keep these things in mind:
The size of Mayweather is exaggerated:
Many people are saying this fight is a mismatch due only to Mayweather’s size. When looking at the tale of the tape, Mayweather is 5’8, while Marquez is around 5’6. Reach Mayweather has a significant advantage here, having a longer reach of 72 inches. The main focus for this fight revolves around the weight. Mostly everyone agrees the fight should happen at 140. Still, I think it’s fine if it happens at 144 or 143. Marquez will not drastically lose that big of an advantage going up three extra pounds he’d be willing to go up. That would be eight pounds from his current weight class, but even if the fight was at 140 pounds, Marquez overnight would still rehydrate to 145 or somewhere around there. Mayweather will probably come in at 144 and go back up to somewhere around 148. The weight is only a 3 pound difference and it won’t be that much of a difference in the ring.
However…..
The fight does nothing for Mayweather’s legacy except add a noteable name:
Fans should not confuse this fight for a creditable opponent of Mayweather’s career that he needs to truly back up his ATG claim. While the size itself is not that much of a difference and Marquez is pound for pound #2 in the world today, Marquez does not do as well moving up in weight. He isn’t like Manny Pacquiao where he retains most of his speed everytime. Infact, it’s just the opposite. Everytime Juan Manuel Marquez has moved up in weight, he’s lost speed and a bit of his timing. This may have to do with older age also, but at 144 Marquez would lose even more speed then he has at 135. This makes the fight unfair for Marquez. Even at 140, It wouldn’t do amazingly that much for Mayweather’s long term resume except a noteable name, who wasn’t fighting in his prime weight class (which is 126).
Looking to the fight itself…..
The fight itself is a mismatch:
There is nothing Juan Manuel Marquez does better then Floyd Mayweather Jr. A pretty bold statement, but when you look at it…it’s pretty true. Defense? No. Left Hook? No. Right Hand? No. Combination Puncher? Maybe, but no.
Thay isn’t the only reason why the fight won’t be competitive. Along with Marquez’s decrease of skills for going up in weight, Marquez also has trouble with slick counter punchers. While I had him beating both John and Barrera by pretty big margins, he was open to counters from them. Mayweather, who won’t be intimidated by a smaller man, will be more willing to throw combinations also. He’ll be able to throw counters and then follow them up with accurate combinations. There is also the problem of Marquez hitting Floyd. Marquez has some great timing, but Floyd’s defense would give Marquez major problems. Add that with slower reactions because Marquez moves up in weight for this fight, it’s not all that competitive. Marquez might have a chance of landing some things because of Floyd’s inactivity, but don’t count on it.
The question now is….
Does that make Floyd a “bitch” for fighting someone that isn’t at 147?
A popular trend and perhaps warranted is accusing Mayweather of ducking fighters. Whether it was Antonio Margarito (he did not), Miguel Cotto (this you have a better shot of arguing), or somebody else, Floyd Mayweather has always been accused of ducking fighters since 2006 or so. Now, does that make Floyd a coward for fighting JMM and not Shane Mosley?
He isn’t a coward in my opinion, but his legacy definitely suffers for this. In his first fight back since his “retirement”, he shouldn’t be expected to fight Shane Mosley, who is a more dangerous fighter then Juan Manuel Marquez, but it still looks bad that he is fighting someone not as good as Mosley in that weight class.
Mayweather vs. Marquez is a fight to set up for the mega of all fights, Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather. Pacquiao-Mayweather is a much better much up then Marquez-Floyd (will be explained why at a different time) and easily the best win of Mayweather’s career. Still, Mayweather is criticized for not fighting top welterweights particularly when he was the Welterweight champ and will probably be criticized for not fighting welterweights afterwards too.
My biggest criticism of Mayweather is not fighting Miguel Cotto after he fought Ricky Hatton. He was the Welterweight Champion who was expected to defend against the top contender, but he walked away. Now he’s back, but it’s now up to Floyd to determine and improve his legacy. Marquez is a step, but not a very big step.
He needs names like Pacquiao, who would be the toughest fight of his career, and a Cotto-Mosley 2 winner to truly sum up his career. Mayweather’s close, but he’s not there quite yet. Marquez-Mayweather is a solid fight, but overall it’s not the toughest fight Mayweather could be taking and his fans need to remember that.
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