By Mark Vester
According to Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr. needs to make a statement against Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19. A decision win is not enough, he says Mayweather needs to win the fight with a knockout. Mayweather makes his return to boxing after nearly two years of being away from the ring.
Marquez has never been knocked out. He moves up by nearly two weight divisions, from 135 to catch-weight of 144-pounds for the fight. De La Hoya feels Marquez beat Pacquiao twice and Mayweather would need to knock Marquez out to send a message since Pacquiao, who many see as the pound for pound best in the world, was unable to knock Marquez out.
"Let me put it this way, the only way Floyd is going to be talked about among the best, he has to keep fighting the best, and he has to knock out some of the best, starting with Juan Manuel Marquez," De La Hoya said.
"He has to make a statement. He has to do something that no one has ever done, ever in Marquez's career, and that's knock him out. The you can say, "Oh boy, here we go. We're watching a great fighter in the making and there's no doubt about it." But he has to knock out Marquez. He has to make a statement because Marquez fought Pacquiao twice and Marquez, in my mind, beat him. But Pacquiao couldn't knock him out. If Mayweather can make that statement knock out Marquez and go after him, that's - you know, "Hello world, here I am. I'm the greatest!"
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