By Doug Fischer
ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE CREDIT?
Are you going to criticize Mayweather and say he beat up a Hand Picked guy, or are you going to give PBF credit for dominating a guy who you said would be competitive? — Lance
Are you going to tell me that Mayweather DIDN’T …

I thought the former five-division titleholder controlled every second of every minute of every round against one of the sport’s elite fighters. However, I never lost sight of the fact that Marquez is a lightweight, which put Mayweather’s win in its proper perspective.

As a comeback fight it was a tremendous victory that demonstrated that Mayweather hasn’t lost any of the speed, reflexes and defensive prowess that made him one of the top fighters of the past two decades. As excellent as Marquez was at 126, 130 and 135 pounds, though, he was nothing special at welterweight.

A victory over Marquez at welterweight should not catapult any fighter up THE RING’s 147-pound and pound-for-pound rankings, but that’s just what happened to Mayweather in this week’s updated RING Ratings.

To paraphrase Roy Jones Jr. — who preceded Mayweather as the American boxer everyone overrated because of uncanny athletic ability and careful matchmaking — I think my colleagues at THE RING “musta forgot” that Marquez is a lightweight (even though he holds the magazine’s 135-pound title).

That’s the only way I can fathom THE RING editorial board’s ranking Mayweather No. 2 at welterweight, which displaced Miguel Cotto, and No. 2 in the magazine’s pound-for-pound Ratings, a spot held by Marquez.

I disagree with both RING ratings, particularly Mayweather’s divisional placement.

By Gabriel Montoya

Good Monday, fight fans. We have takes on the Mayweather/Marquez, Rocky Juarez, a potential Shane Mosley/Mayweather showdown and more. Plus, Montoya’s Weekend Fight Pick Results. Enjoy.
EASY WORK
Well Gabe,
That was pretty easy work, it looked like Floyd was sparring. In the fight I saw size did not …

By Dave “Large” Larzelere
We are fickle people, us boxing heads, and now, having worshipped at the altar of Manny Pacquiao for most of the year, we find ourselves in a place that few anticipated. I certainly did not. I went into the Mayweather/Marquez fight confident that Floyd would win …

By Randall Parker
BAGUIO CITY, PHILIPPINES - While doing his road work in Baguio City, north of Manila, Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao heard yells from well-wishers, “You can easily beat Cotto!”
After seeing him in his first workout, Freddy Roach was very impressed with “Pac Man’s” form. Roach stated, “He was …

It’s no mystery among avid boxing circles and fans alike that since Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s recent return to the fight scene and his subsequent defeat of Juan Manuel Marquez that the fight that everyone wants to see is Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao. With this said, it seems only fair to back off a little and pause somewhat before we all jump the gun on our next criticisms of Mayweather (which we all know are coming), no matter how he performs in the proposed bout if it even happens.

I say this because no matter who Mayweather fights he gets criticized. They’re smaller opponents, or he hand picks who he fights. Or the theory of how he ducks everyone and refuses to fight true challenges. Typically the people making these statements have never fought, let alone attempted to train as hard and diligently as Floyd Mayweather Jr. has during his career because if they had then they wouldn’t let such garbage leak from their mouths on a routine basis. Say what you must and continue to pick him apart, but it is your disdain for the man and his skills and talent in the ring that make you despise him, not the caliber of his opposition. That is just a smoke screen and excuse to hide the true underlying reasoning for not giving the man his props.

abs-cbnNEWS.com
MANILA – Freddie Roach got down to business immediately after arriving in the “City of Pines” on Tuesday with strength trainer Alex Ariza.
Roach and Ariza wasted no time in getting Manny Pacquiao ready for his fight against Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las …

Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao began his training camp feeling upbeat about their stay here in Baguio City, the Philippines “Summer Capital” located approximately 250 kilometers north of Manila. Pacquiao did six rounds of punch mitts, three rounds of shadow boxing and some more time hitting the speed ball and skipping rope witnessed by a rather controlled observers composed mostly of local media and Manila-based networks. The training, held at the Shape-Up Gym located inside the Cooyeesan Hotel along Naguillan Road lasted for a little over two hours.

Pacquiao and Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez later on admitted that regaining their timing and stamina will be a concern in the next few days.

“Its normal for him to be a bit sluggish but his power and speed is still there,” said Fernandez.

Pacquiao is preparing for his 12-round world welterweight title fight against defending champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico on November 14 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada.

By Frank Lotierzo
Maybe if Miguel Cotto wasn’t making a small fortune for his upcoming fight with Manny Pacquiao, he might try and pull a Floyd Mayweather and come in two pounds over the contracted weight. The problem is he can’t take a chance on possibly imploding a fight he’s …

cityam.com
BRITISH former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton has given his biggest hint yet that he will return to the ring.
The Manchester-born fight has been considering retirement since his savage second-round knockout defeat to six-weight title-holder Manny Pacquiao in May.
Hatton is currently working as a promoter for his own company, …

Las Vegas - Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says it will take some time to negotiate a best-seller fight between reigning world pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and former No.1 Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Arum told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that Pacquiao wanted one more fight after his “Fire Power” showdown against WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in their showdown at the MGM Grand here in Las Vegas on November 14 before the May 2010 elections where he plans to run for the lone congressional seat in Sarangani.

“I’m hoping that the best will fight the best. That’s what the sport of boxing needs. I’m the number one welterweight champion right now. Nobody can dispute that. I’m the type who wants to fight everybody. I’m tired of people thinking Floyd’s the best, or Pacquiao’s the best.

“Floyd has a big ego. If you want to be the best, if you want to be considered the best, you can’t just say, oh I’m the best and have the crowd say oh yeah sure Floyd you’re the best. You have to get in there and prove it. He knows that, he knows it in his heart, that he has to come in the ring and fight me to be the best. Now when he actually does that, that’s the difference. Maybe he’s trying to wait until I’m 40 years old, I don’t know.”

“There’s enough money in the pot for everybody to make this fight. I want the fans to know who the real champion is. I’m the real champion. I’m the pound-for-pound best.”

“We’d match equally in speed. I have more power than him. I’m more aggressive, I want to fight, he wants to box a little more. He can definitely fight, he’s a great fighter. I like his style, I like what he does. He’s very sharp, fast, he has all the abilities. It’s the making of the next Sugar Ray Leonard/Tommy Hearns type of fight. This is the type of fight this is. This is what the fans, what the world wants to see. This is the fight that will save boxing.”

Mayweather selected Marquez as his comeback opponent because he knew the Mexican star couldn’t give him a fight, not two weight classes above his natural weight.

Fighters always weigh risk against reward; that’s part of the business. However, without any risk -– which was the case more or less on Saturday –- a fight isn’t compelling. This is why there was relatively little buzz about this promotion and why the promoters had trouble selling tickets. Knowledgeable boxing fans knew this wasn’t a good matchup.

Mayweather could give his reputation a boost by fighting Manny Pacquiao, assuming Pacquiao beats Cotto on Nov. 14. Pacquiao might not do much better than Marquez did but the perception would be that he can, which would create excitement.

And those who push him to accept meaningful challenges would get off his back if chooses to fight the man who confronted him in the ring after the final bell Saturday night, Shane Mosley, one of the few fighters who can match him in speed and boxing ability.

By Paula Duffy
If you want to believe that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has thrown the gauntlet down for the king in waiting, Manny Pacquiao you certainly can.
A masterful, dominating 12-round boxing performance on Saturday night in Las Vegas against Juan Manuel Marquez would be your evidence.
But Mayweather hand-picked his opponent, a …

Juan Marquez was also interviewed after the fight and his main concern was the size and speed of Mayweather which he could not address. He commented that a couple of fights more in the welterweight division, he would have done better. Marquez fought with honor for his countrymen, part of that honor is he was able to fight the whole fight and Mayweather could not KO him if his life counted on it.

So there you have it folks, this was a classic Mayweather and lives up to its billing that Floyd jr is better than ever when it comes to cherry picking his opponents. And now since Mayweather is in the middleweights, he’s on Manny Pacquaio’s uncharted weight category which makes the fight negotiations between the two boxers difficult than ever without a reasonable catch weight that Mayweather can strictly follow.

By Steve Bien-Aime
The fighters are about to enter the ring. Plenty of Marquez fans in the crowd tonight.
We’ll see how much the weight difference means in a few moments.
Marquez appears very calm getting into the ring.
Mayweather walks to the ring with WWE superstar Triple H. Even in the biggest fight …

www.sportinglife.com
Michael Katsidis outpointed Vicente Escobedo in Las Vegas on Saturday night to take the WBO interim lightweight title.
The all-action Aussie (now 26-2) was simply too strong as he wore down his opponent in the second half of a bruising encounter on the
Mayweather/Marquez undercard at the MGM Grand.
Katsidis had been beaten …

news.smh.com.au
Australia’s Michael Katsidis has won his interim lightweight boxing world title bout at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas.
Katsidis scored a split points decision over American Vicente Escobedo.
Katsidis is now the mandatory challenger to fight World Boxing Organisation lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.
Marquez fights former pound for pound champion …

By Andreas Hale and David Hudson at ringside
In a clash for the vacant WBO interim lightweight title, Michael Katsidis (26-2, 21 KOs) pressured Vicente Escobedo (21-2, 13 KOs) for twelve rounds to claim 115-113, 118-110 win on two cards. Escobedo was ahead 116-112 on the third card.
—–
Featherweight Cornelius Lock (19-4-1, …

The majority of fans and media give Pacquiao a better chance to beat Mayweather because your fellow Pinoy has proven himself in the higher weight classes. Marquez has not.

While it’s true that Pacquiao and Marquez were evenly matched in their two fights (I scored both 12-round classics a draw), you have to keep in mind that those fights took place at featherweight and junior lightweight. Since their rematch at 130 pounds, Pacquiao weighed 135, 142 and 138 pounds for his last three fights .

And your boy looked just as sharp (or sharper) fighting at welterweight (vs. De La Hoya) and junior welterweight (vs. Hatton) as he did at the lighter weights. Nobody has ever seen Marquez fight above the lightweight limit, so his effectiveness above 140 pounds is unknown. Most fans and members of the media are skeptical that he will look better at the heavier weight because he struggled in both of his 135-pound bouts. His speed and reflexes appeared slower vs. Joel Casamayor, and he suffered a few rocky moments in his battle with Juan Diaz.

So it’s difficult, even for Marquez fans, to envision a victory over a boxer as smart, fast, and experienced as Mayweather, who has fought at 146 pound or more since late 2005.

Q: On a similar note, Floyd hasn’t fought below the 147 pound limit since he faced Arturo Gatti way back in June of 2005. Is it safe to assume, then, that you do not think he will have any problems with making a lower weight than he has in a long time?

A: No, I don’t. I think he will make the weight good. He’s a very conditioned guy. A lot of guys are now fighting fights where the money is. If it’s a good name match-up with another name, just look at this fight itself, and the fact that you maybe could have Marquez if he can win this fight fighting a (Miguel) Cotto or something, or even look at (Manny) Pacquiao and Cotto. The match-ups right now are being made because of name recognition and people thinking up dream fights, where the weights are just flexible. What I am saying is, some of the guys who are fighting maybe as a welterweight or a junior middleweight sometimes really aren’t that, anyway, and I think Floyd is one of those. Floyd has always been a right 143-144 pounder to me.

Q: Now coming into this fight, should Floyd still be regarded as the pound for pound king in boxing or do you think Manny Pacquiao has rightly surpassed him in that regard?

A: I think Manny has surpassed him. He’s been active. He’s fought top notch guys at their peak and continued it for five years, too, almost which is unbelievable. Where there was questions about Floyd not wanting to fight Margarito at the time, and there was no money he said with Shane Mosley, so he avoided a lot of those real tough fights whereas Manny, whoever they make a match with he just says, “Let’s fight!” I don’t care whether it’s been Barrera, and the fights with Marquez, (Eric) Morales, Ricky Hatton, Oscar (De La Hoya), I mean—he’s earned the right. He is definitely the pound for pound champion as far as I’m concerned, and not just because of activity but the high level of competition he’s continuously fought for five years and performed great in all of those fights.

Hours before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at San Diego’s PETCO Park before the Padres’ baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, reigning Fighter Of The Year, Manny Pacquiao, directed a vocal counter-punch at trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr.

“Maybe all of them — they’re using the steroids, and not me,” said Pacquiao, responding to — and hearing for the first time — implications by Floyd Sr. that he might have used steroids.

“You know what? I don’t even know what a steroid is,” said Pacquiao. “I’ve never done that.”

Floyd Mayweather Sr., whose son, Floyd Jr., is an undefeated six-time champion over five weight classes, told Michigan’s Grand Rapids Press “I think they’re pushing Pacquiao too much — even if he’s got ‘roids in his body.”

“If this fight is as good as we hope it will be and the public supports it, as we know they're going to do, then why not have a rematch,” WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto remarked as the ”Fire Power” promotional tour came to an end. Despite his confidence in victory, Cotto is already hinting to his promoter, Bob Arum, that he'd welcome an opportunity for another fight, and more importantly another lucrative purse, with Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.

Smiling from ear to ear, Arum would reply, “You never know. Obviously, if it is a great, great fight with tremendous demand, nothing would please me more than to do a rematch. They could make good money…nothing is stipulated in the contract though.”

Hatton believes he peaked too early for the Pacquiao fight at the MGM Grand in May, although he had the measure of Mayweather. Who would win the expected fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao?

“I wouldn’t like to say. The obvious thing to say would be Pacquiao, because he beat me in two rounds. Mayweather is a classy boxer, though. In my training camp for Pacquiao I put my foot on the gas down hard and left my best work in the gym. Maybe a bit overtrained, maybe I peaked too soon.

“I couldn’t have started worse, knocked down twice in the first round. I was winning the second round by until he caught me with that haymaker. With Mayweather it was nip and tuck for about five rounds until he pulled away.

“I think Mayweather would have been a great in any era. I have more respect for Manny, because he’s a gentleman, but I think Floyd might have the edge on him.”