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Top 10 reasons why Floyd Mayweather, Jr. may defeat Juan Manuel Marquez
Number 10. Defense versus lack thereof. There may not be a fighter today (well circa 2007) with better defensive skills than Floyd, Jr. Combine that with the fact that Marquez is very hittable and you have a potential recipe for a Mexican disaster.
Number 9. Flash. See number 10 above. Marquez is the king of taking flash knockdowns, which are scorecard killers. Mayweather's counter punches are so quick and precise that I expect Marquez to hit the canvas at least once during the fight. Marquez will never be able to make up the ground in the late rounds if he gets too far behind.
Number 8. Hit and don't get hit. The essence of boxing is Mayweather at his best. Tell me all you want about the glorious charges made by Oscar De La Hoya and Jose Luis Castillo; however, the reality is that no fighter has ever come close to defeating Money May.
Number 7. Nacho Beristain. Yeah, he makes both lists for the simple reason that I question his ability to get the job done in major marquee fights. He trained Oscar De La Hoya and Marquez against Manny Pacquiao. In those fights he ended up 0-2-1. Granted the opponent in those fights is the absolute best in the sport right now, but Marquez also took too much punishment against Juan Diaz before he closed the show. Juan Diaz is no Manny Pacquiao. Either Nacho's fighters are too old to pull the trigger, as Freddie Roach would say, or there is a preparation problem against elite opposition.
Number 6. Blood. Marquez's forehead may well be pure scar tissue by now. If Mayweather can cut him, then Marquez will press more and make mistakes. Nobody gets away with mistakes against Mayweather.
Number 5. Experience and power. I'm talking about fight experience and natural power north of 140lbs here. Mayweather has fought as high as 154lbs and hasn't fought at lightweight since 2003. By contrast, Marquez has fought as high as 135lbs, but only twice. Like Roy Jones, Jr., Mayweather can hit when he wants to and Marquez is going to learn that Juan Diaz and Joel Casamayor did little to prepare him for the difference in punching power.
Number 4. Styles make fights. Styles do make fights, but they also make mismatches. If you're going to buy this fight, then be prepared for a chess match and not a war. Unfortunately for Marquez, he needs a war to win in my view; however, Mayweather never goes to war. If Marquez cannot dictate the action, then this thing will be Oscar De La Hoya all over again without a split decision.
Number 3. Road wear. In my last article I mentioned that the tale of the tape between the two men doesn't necessarily give Mayweather a significant advantage. I said nothing about age though. The older Marquez is battle tested and durable, but nobody can dispute that he struggled early against Juan Diaz. Mayweather may not throw as many punches as Baby Bull, but he is by far more dangerous. Marquez has taken a lot of punishment in his career, Mayweather hasn't taken any. As such, Marquez's best moments may have already been punched out of him.
Number 2. Manny Pacquiao. Since his "retirement" in 2007, Floyd, Jr. has been driven stark raving mad by all of the attention that Manny has received. He knows that Manny struggled against Marquez, and Mayweather is not about to give up a bragging right. The reality is that Pacquiao is the only non-financial reason why Mayweather came out of retirement and Marquez is his "what Manny can do, I can do better" project. Mayweather's post-fight speech is already written whereby he will talk about how he "dominated Marquez…something Manny couldn't do." This is the only reason why he is fighting Marquez in the first place--an attempt to trump Pac-Man. Floyd understands that failure is not an option and neither is a close fight with Juan Manuel.
Number 1. Sugar Ray Leonard. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are the players they are because they "want to be like Mike." Floyd, Jr. is the fighter he is because he is motivated by the legacy of Sugar Ray Leonard. The analogy is imperfect, but it is very real, at least to Mayweather. Sugar Ray found a way to win (almost) every time and Floyd is convinced that he possesses the same ability. So far, he has.
Some of you may disagree with how I ranked numbers 1 and 2 above, which is fine because I struggled a bit. At the end of the day though, my belief is that Mayweather puts legacy over money. In that respect, I think he will be the biggest Miguel Cotto fan in the world on November 11th. If Cotto wins, then the Manny problem goes away (along with an enormous paycheck) and the legacy remains in tact. The hard part is still in front of him though--Juan Manuel Marquez.
Number 9. Flash. See number 10 above. Marquez is the king of taking flash knockdowns, which are scorecard killers. Mayweather's counter punches are so quick and precise that I expect Marquez to hit the canvas at least once during the fight. Marquez will never be able to make up the ground in the late rounds if he gets too far behind.
Number 8. Hit and don't get hit. The essence of boxing is Mayweather at his best. Tell me all you want about the glorious charges made by Oscar De La Hoya and Jose Luis Castillo; however, the reality is that no fighter has ever come close to defeating Money May.
Number 7. Nacho Beristain. Yeah, he makes both lists for the simple reason that I question his ability to get the job done in major marquee fights. He trained Oscar De La Hoya and Marquez against Manny Pacquiao. In those fights he ended up 0-2-1. Granted the opponent in those fights is the absolute best in the sport right now, but Marquez also took too much punishment against Juan Diaz before he closed the show. Juan Diaz is no Manny Pacquiao. Either Nacho's fighters are too old to pull the trigger, as Freddie Roach would say, or there is a preparation problem against elite opposition.
Number 6. Blood. Marquez's forehead may well be pure scar tissue by now. If Mayweather can cut him, then Marquez will press more and make mistakes. Nobody gets away with mistakes against Mayweather.
Number 5. Experience and power. I'm talking about fight experience and natural power north of 140lbs here. Mayweather has fought as high as 154lbs and hasn't fought at lightweight since 2003. By contrast, Marquez has fought as high as 135lbs, but only twice. Like Roy Jones, Jr., Mayweather can hit when he wants to and Marquez is going to learn that Juan Diaz and Joel Casamayor did little to prepare him for the difference in punching power.
Number 4. Styles make fights. Styles do make fights, but they also make mismatches. If you're going to buy this fight, then be prepared for a chess match and not a war. Unfortunately for Marquez, he needs a war to win in my view; however, Mayweather never goes to war. If Marquez cannot dictate the action, then this thing will be Oscar De La Hoya all over again without a split decision.
Number 3. Road wear. In my last article I mentioned that the tale of the tape between the two men doesn't necessarily give Mayweather a significant advantage. I said nothing about age though. The older Marquez is battle tested and durable, but nobody can dispute that he struggled early against Juan Diaz. Mayweather may not throw as many punches as Baby Bull, but he is by far more dangerous. Marquez has taken a lot of punishment in his career, Mayweather hasn't taken any. As such, Marquez's best moments may have already been punched out of him.
Number 2. Manny Pacquiao. Since his "retirement" in 2007, Floyd, Jr. has been driven stark raving mad by all of the attention that Manny has received. He knows that Manny struggled against Marquez, and Mayweather is not about to give up a bragging right. The reality is that Pacquiao is the only non-financial reason why Mayweather came out of retirement and Marquez is his "what Manny can do, I can do better" project. Mayweather's post-fight speech is already written whereby he will talk about how he "dominated Marquez…something Manny couldn't do." This is the only reason why he is fighting Marquez in the first place--an attempt to trump Pac-Man. Floyd understands that failure is not an option and neither is a close fight with Juan Manuel.
Number 1. Sugar Ray Leonard. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are the players they are because they "want to be like Mike." Floyd, Jr. is the fighter he is because he is motivated by the legacy of Sugar Ray Leonard. The analogy is imperfect, but it is very real, at least to Mayweather. Sugar Ray found a way to win (almost) every time and Floyd is convinced that he possesses the same ability. So far, he has.
Some of you may disagree with how I ranked numbers 1 and 2 above, which is fine because I struggled a bit. At the end of the day though, my belief is that Mayweather puts legacy over money. In that respect, I think he will be the biggest Miguel Cotto fan in the world on November 11th. If Cotto wins, then the Manny problem goes away (along with an enormous paycheck) and the legacy remains in tact. The hard part is still in front of him though--Juan Manuel Marquez.
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