By Alex McMillan: There were some interesting comments both in the immediate aftermath and at the press conference of Juan Manuel Marquez’ superb eleventh round KO of former lightweight linchpin Joel Casamayor last Saturday night; a career highlight in a career simply crammed with highlights. Firstly from the fighter himself, who declared that where Floyd Mayweather had previously been the pound for pound king, he himself was now rightful heir to the throne, and secondly from his promotion team ‘Golden Boy’, led of course by Oscar de la Hoya, whose CEO Richard Schaefer made it clear that Manny Pacquiao at this stage ‘wants nothing to do with Marquez’, who it seems will be forced to look instead at other prominent lightweight challenges, of which, granted, there are many.

The pound for pound mantle has become boxing’s unquestionable holy grail, a title that eludes belts and governing bodies in a sport – or perhaps the term business is more accurate – heavily saturated with both. In recent years it’s been nigh-on impossible to argue the mantle away from Mayweather, try though some might; since his retirement (for as long as it lasts) the door has been opened, and pretenders to the crown aplenty.

But while Joe Calzaghe and Chris John (perhaps the most underrated fighter in world boxing today) can argue justifiable claims, realistically the argument boils down to one of only two fighters, Pacquiao and Marquez, both of whom, interestingly, have stepped through the divisions in recent fights. In the fight game careers can be turned overnight, reputations created and destroyed by single awkward rounds and wild swinging hooks; as such it’s often hard to stop at any point and surmise the layout of any one division’s hierarchy, let alone the classic argument of each fighter as pound for pound.

Of course, everyone has their opinion (perhaps the greatest intrigue of boxing remains its ambiguity) but at this point, even this late in his career I’d still venture without risking too much boldness to say that Calzaghe’s record remains short of true world class fighters in their prime, as does John’s – though his wide points win over Marquez, even allowing for home advantage and point deductions for arguable low blows, certainly can’t be ignored – just as Winky Wright’s prime seems spoiled somewhat by a lack of interest from potential great challengers and the likes of Antonio Margarito, Israel Vasquez, Kelly Pavlik and Juan Diaz have work to do yet before their claims can be recognized as substantial. Realistically, it seems impossible at this stage to propose anyone other than Marquez or Pacquiao for the crown of world’s best, the pendulum currently swinging between them as each out-impresses the other in subsequent bouts. But whose claim of the two at this point is most compelling, and what are the implications of either? Which brings us to the crux of this debate.

How the boxing historians in years to come will remember Manny and Juan Manuel is already clear; both can expect to be considered ring legends, both have fought and beaten the very best opponents they could have faced (whether on judge’s scorecards or in the eyes of the boxing public). If either fighter retired tomorrow, they would do so with the reputation of future hall of fame pugilists, leaving each in their wake a career littered with defining moments. Who, for example, can forget Pacquiao’s destruction of a still-prime Marco Antonio Barrera in their first fight, his taking apart of an albeit waning Erik Morales, or forget indeed his spectacular triple knock-down of Marquez himself in the first round of their initial bout?

Who likewise can forget Juan Manuel rising each time, working the Filipino out for the duration of the fight, collecting all but a few of the remaining rounds; who equally will forget his running through the gears in the later rounds of last Saturday’s bout with Casamayor – Ring magazine’s legitimate lightweight champ – intelligently taking the fight away from the experienced Cuban before dropping him twice to win the fight when he had never been KO’d in twelve years. These are prime highlights in the annals of recent boxing history, but what next for either fighter; and who has more to gain in the long run from avoiding or staging a second rematch?

If, as Marquez’ management pose, the prospect of a third bout between the pair is an unlikely one, question marks must surely be raised as to the extent of Pacquiao’s further involvement in the sport. After de la Hoya, what else has he to do? Will Floyd Mayweather come out of retirement for a potential match-up? Surely, one would argue, this would only appeal were the Filipino to somehow overcome the naturally much bigger Oscar. Fights at lightweight against the likes of Juan Diaz, Nate Campbell or to a lesser extent Julio Diaz would have some appeal – and who really could resist licking their lips in anticipation of the explosive spectacle of Manny vs. Michael Katsidis? – but in terms of earnings, prestige and legacy one wonders how much interest these bouts would hold for Manny regardless of the outcome of his upcoming December clash with Marquez’ promoter.

Are the fans being slightly short changed on this occasion by de la Hoya? One hesitates to criticize an individual who has offered the sport so much, and seems intent on making only the biggest matches; the fact cannot be denied however, that his own latter contests have been much heavier on spectacle and lighter on pugilism. Against Mayweather, while the hand speed, smarts, and defensive techniques were of course immensely impressive (not to mention the elevation in marketing of the fight game to an exceptionally A-list gathering) there was very little prospect of a fight actually breaking out at any point between the two. While Manny’s style and insistence on crowd-pleasing should ensure a show far easier on the eye of the casual boxing viewer (of which there will be many) than Floyd’s superbly elusive frustrating of his opponent’s abilities, I do find it hard to get too excited about this contest. Far less so, clearly, than I would a third Pacquiao match up with Marquez.

For the Mexican, victory over Casamayor leaves him with a multitude of options, though of course, he would certainly seem to believe, minus the one fight he really wishes to secure. While those same aforementioned names of Diaz, Campbell and Diaz would provide stern tests to his reputation at this new weight, of the three perhaps only Juan Diaz would provide any realistic challenge to his placement, already, as kingpin of the lightweight division. At thirty five, how long will Marquez await Pacquiao? Is it the case that he feels after, as one would suspect he supposes, his manager beats Manny the Filipino superstar will have nowhere else to turn? Or will Juan Manuel, his legacy already in place, simply settle for the not-inconsiderable consolation of cleaning up the hottest weight division in boxing, hoping that, at some point, this will likewise lead him to the final battle of the trilogy?

There are, of course, so many unanswered questions. The argument of current pound for pound king rests as likely as anything else, all things equal, on how the two fights the pair have shared previously are judged. Believing, in my own humble mind, that Marquez ultimately won both fights with Pacquiao, I find it inconceivable that he could somehow be deemed second place to the Filipino; his excellent win over a Casamayor with plenty left in the tank, as opposed to Manny’s destruction of the gallant though lacking David Diaz only strengthens my view of the two ordered as first and second – if I’m not being too harsh on Manny in posing Casamayor as the far greater challenge of their two respective opponents. Should Manny lose to de la Hoya, as I believe he will, where does he then go but to Marquez? Equally, if he somehow overcomes Oscar, who else is left for him to fight (aside perhaps from the potentially-returning Mayweather)? To my mind, and to engage the title question of this discussion, if Pacquiao is to continue boxing any longer than his next scheduled fight then he, most of all, needs the third bout with Marquez. And at twenty nine, he’s surely too young to fight only one more bout. Let us hope for the sake of the sport, and our own continued enthrallment with it, that he sees things in a similar vein.