by James Slater – Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez (or near great, or soon to become great – take your pick) has never once been stopped as a pro; Marquez has never fought as high as welterweight before either. Is it possible the fighter known as “Dinamita” will see both these statistics change in less than sixty hours time in Las Vegas?
Taking what is undeniably the single biggest fight of his already illustrious career, the 36-year-old former featherweight, super-featherweight and lightweight ruler is also facing his cleverest opponent in the returning Floyd Mayweather Junior.. As such, with the weight advantage to be enjoyed by “Money” also being a major factor, is there a chance Marquez could wind up being carried out on his shield on Saturday night? Mayweather may not be a huge puncher, but he is a deadly accurate one, and he has managed to stop 25 of his victims during the 39 wins he has spread out over a 13 year career.
And Marquez has been dropped and hurt before, most famously by Manny Pacquiao. Caught early in their sensational 2004 fight, Marquez did well to get through the round. Decked once again by Pacquiao in their 2008 rematch, Marquez showed what a warrior he is by again getting up from a hurtful knockdown to battle back twice as hard. Will Mayweather, though, see the possibility of getting Marquez out of there pretty quickly as an attractive one?
It really will be interesting to see what happens on Saturday if the weight issue doesn’t prove to such a big thing. If the Mexican, who has pushed himself beyond all limits in training for his biggest fight, can handle the bigger man’s strength and punching power, Floyd could have a really tough fight on his hands; and the chances of him scoring what would be just his second stoppage since 2005 would perhaps fade.
We don’t know how the near two year layoff will affect Mayweather, just as we don’t know how the weight disparity will benefit him. In an episode of the extremely enjoyable 24/7 build up for the fight, Mayweather did say he will be looking for a stoppage, saying he cannot let Marquez go the distance with him. And if Floyd’s punches/reflexes have slowed by even a fraction of a second or so due to inactivity and a slowly but surely advancing age, the fight could turn into one that sees the unbeaten star hit more often than ever before. This would then perhaps give Marquez a chance of becoming the first man to stop Floyd. How big a shock would that be!?!
Marquez, at 36, is not getting any younger himself, of course, and the added weight he has put on may serve to slow him a touch also. But if a slightly slower version of Mayweather does come out intent on making a statement KO or stoppage, the fight some still see as a mismatch could become very interesting. If Mayweather stays in punching range in search of a KO, this will give Marquez a chance of turning the tables. A safety first boxing match, on the other hand, with Mayweather keeping his distance, will serve to simply frustrate Marquez. But if “Money” means it when he says he wants to give the fans a great fight and a stoppage win, nobody – neither the fans nor Marquez – will be feeling frustrated. A more aggressive, yet slightly slower Mayweather looking for a KO could add up to a tough night for him and an exciting night for the fans.
All great fighters, when they reach a certain age, begin to get hit more. With his layoff, his perceived (by some) overconfidence and his now two year older body, could this time arrive for Floyd “Money” Mayweather in two day’s time?