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By Lyle Fitzsimmons - I still hope Manny Pacquiao fights Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2011.
It’s still a natural matchup between the preeminent irresistible force in boxing and its most competitively compelling immovable object. And in spite of blather on one side and recent forays into petty interpersonal crime on the other, I still think it’s a challenge both men are eager to tackle.
But it’s no longer the do-or-die option it seemed this time last week.
Over nine grueling, punishing and competitively thrilling rounds at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night, reigning 135-pound champion Juan Manuel Marquez established himself as a lighter, less-controversial option that’ll do just fine should “Money” opt out for another 12 months.
In fact, by going nose to nose, climbing off the floor and eventually dismantling and stopping a game foe in Michael Katsidis, the 37-year-old Mexican workhorse reaffirmed the very qualities that have made him the streaking Filipino’s longest-running and most successful foil in the first place.
While the Mayweather posse and the 24/7 fuel it brings would surely make pre-Pacquiao hype must-see premium cable TV for as long as the run-up lasts, the evidence already provided in 2004 and 2008 might actually make Marquez a more convincing commodity once the bell rings. [Click Here To Read More]
It’s still a natural matchup between the preeminent irresistible force in boxing and its most competitively compelling immovable object. And in spite of blather on one side and recent forays into petty interpersonal crime on the other, I still think it’s a challenge both men are eager to tackle.
But it’s no longer the do-or-die option it seemed this time last week.
Over nine grueling, punishing and competitively thrilling rounds at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night, reigning 135-pound champion Juan Manuel Marquez established himself as a lighter, less-controversial option that’ll do just fine should “Money” opt out for another 12 months.
In fact, by going nose to nose, climbing off the floor and eventually dismantling and stopping a game foe in Michael Katsidis, the 37-year-old Mexican workhorse reaffirmed the very qualities that have made him the streaking Filipino’s longest-running and most successful foil in the first place.
While the Mayweather posse and the 24/7 fuel it brings would surely make pre-Pacquiao hype must-see premium cable TV for as long as the run-up lasts, the evidence already provided in 2004 and 2008 might actually make Marquez a more convincing commodity once the bell rings. [Click Here To Read More]
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