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By Doveed Linder
If you saw just one round of Mayweather-Marquez, you pretty much saw the whole fight. Mayweather was too fast, too skilled, and too much of everything, as he dominated Marquez over the course of 12 rounds and managed to drop him in the 2nd en route to winning a unanimous decision. The fight turned out to be nothing more than a glorified tune-up. But after a near two-year layoff, Mayweather was entitled to a tune-up. And the fact that a fight with an elite fighter like Juan Manuel Marquez can be considered a tune-up only goes to show you how gifted Floyd Mayweather, Jr. truly is. This fight was a way for Mayweather to get back in the ring, find his groove, and help set the stage for a showdown with Manny Pacquiao. But after watching how easily Mayweather handled Marquez, in my opinion, it is likely that he would be able to do the same thing with Pacquiao.
When Mayweather officially announced that he was coming out of retirement back in May, it seemed at the time that he was specifically targeting Manny Pacquiao. After all, this announcement came on the day of Pacquiao-Hatton. Before he retired, Mayweather was considered to be the best fighter in the world. And when Pacquiao defeated Oscar De La Hoya, he became the new pound-for-pound king. So a clash between these two was in high demand, especially after Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton in sensational fashion. Most people were of the belief that a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight would be very competitive and fans seemed to be split down the middle as to who would win.
But when you consider that Manny Pacquiao had two close fights with Juan Manuel Marquez (some believe that Marquez deserved the victory on both occasions) and Mayweather handled Marquez with such ease, in my eyes, the idea of a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight has lost a lot of steam. In order for Pacquiao-Mayweather to generate the same excitement it had back in May, Pacquiao has to defeat Miguel Cotto this November and he has to look very impressive. I am of the belief that Pacquiao will be victorious in November, but it is hard to imagine that he will be as dominant as he was against De La Hoya and Hatton. And even if Pacquiao does take care of business with Cotto, I am still convinced that Mayweather will have his way with him and that the fight would not be dissimilar to Mayweather-Marquez.
At the present moment, the two biggest fights that Mayweather could make are with Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. The fight with Pacquiao would bring the most money to the table, but in my opinion, the fight with Mosley would present the tougher challenge. It is likely that he will take the fight with Pacquiao, as Floyd “Money” Mayweather has made it abundantly clear what his priorities are. And this is not something to be criticized. Why would a prize fighter not pursue the match that generates the most revenue?
Regardless of who Mayweather chooses to fight between Pacquiao and Mosley, I believe that “Money” will win. He is fresh, he is undefeated (at least on paper), and he is on top of his game. But given the results of Saturday night’s fight, I believe that most fans would like to see Mosley as Mayweather’s next opponent. After Mosley’s demolition of Antonio Margarito in January, many regard him as the #1 welterweight on the scene. He is a complete fighter, he has proven himself against the game’s best, and his speed and skills are comparable to Mayweather’s. Mayweather would have to be considered the betting favorite, but Mosley is a special fighter and he has the tools to pull off the upset. In my opinion, Mayweather-Mosley would be far more appealing than Mayweather-Pacquiao and it is the most exciting match-up that can be made in boxing.
If you saw just one round of Mayweather-Marquez, you pretty much saw the whole fight. Mayweather was too fast, too skilled, and too much of everything, as he dominated Marquez over the course of 12 rounds and managed to drop him in the 2nd en route to winning a unanimous decision. The fight turned out to be nothing more than a glorified tune-up. But after a near two-year layoff, Mayweather was entitled to a tune-up. And the fact that a fight with an elite fighter like Juan Manuel Marquez can be considered a tune-up only goes to show you how gifted Floyd Mayweather, Jr. truly is. This fight was a way for Mayweather to get back in the ring, find his groove, and help set the stage for a showdown with Manny Pacquiao. But after watching how easily Mayweather handled Marquez, in my opinion, it is likely that he would be able to do the same thing with Pacquiao.
When Mayweather officially announced that he was coming out of retirement back in May, it seemed at the time that he was specifically targeting Manny Pacquiao. After all, this announcement came on the day of Pacquiao-Hatton. Before he retired, Mayweather was considered to be the best fighter in the world. And when Pacquiao defeated Oscar De La Hoya, he became the new pound-for-pound king. So a clash between these two was in high demand, especially after Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton in sensational fashion. Most people were of the belief that a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight would be very competitive and fans seemed to be split down the middle as to who would win.
But when you consider that Manny Pacquiao had two close fights with Juan Manuel Marquez (some believe that Marquez deserved the victory on both occasions) and Mayweather handled Marquez with such ease, in my eyes, the idea of a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight has lost a lot of steam. In order for Pacquiao-Mayweather to generate the same excitement it had back in May, Pacquiao has to defeat Miguel Cotto this November and he has to look very impressive. I am of the belief that Pacquiao will be victorious in November, but it is hard to imagine that he will be as dominant as he was against De La Hoya and Hatton. And even if Pacquiao does take care of business with Cotto, I am still convinced that Mayweather will have his way with him and that the fight would not be dissimilar to Mayweather-Marquez.
At the present moment, the two biggest fights that Mayweather could make are with Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. The fight with Pacquiao would bring the most money to the table, but in my opinion, the fight with Mosley would present the tougher challenge. It is likely that he will take the fight with Pacquiao, as Floyd “Money” Mayweather has made it abundantly clear what his priorities are. And this is not something to be criticized. Why would a prize fighter not pursue the match that generates the most revenue?
Regardless of who Mayweather chooses to fight between Pacquiao and Mosley, I believe that “Money” will win. He is fresh, he is undefeated (at least on paper), and he is on top of his game. But given the results of Saturday night’s fight, I believe that most fans would like to see Mosley as Mayweather’s next opponent. After Mosley’s demolition of Antonio Margarito in January, many regard him as the #1 welterweight on the scene. He is a complete fighter, he has proven himself against the game’s best, and his speed and skills are comparable to Mayweather’s. Mayweather would have to be considered the betting favorite, but Mosley is a special fighter and he has the tools to pull off the upset. In my opinion, Mayweather-Mosley would be far more appealing than Mayweather-Pacquiao and it is the most exciting match-up that can be made in boxing.
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