By Chris Williams: With neither Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s) nor Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s) currently in possession of a world title belt at 147, you just knew that one of the sanctioning bodes was going to come up with some obscure tile belt to have on the line for when Pacquiao and Marquez fight on December 8th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The World Boxing Organization has come up with a special title called the WBO’s “Champion of the Decade” belt to be up for grabs in this fight, which will be the fourth – and likely not the last – meeting between them.

This has got to be one of the odd title belts that you’ll ever here about. I thought the WBC Silver, Gold and Diamond straps were strange belts, but to have a title belt called the “Champion of the Decade” belt. That’s just too much. Why not “Champion of the Century”? If you’re going to go all out then they should at least make it the highest status strap title you can think of.

I don’t know you can put up a title belt for champion of the decade without someone like Floyd Mayweather? After all, Mayweather has been the top welterweight for years now in the sport and to put a title like that on the line in a fight without him just seems wrong to me. Marquez was easily beaten by Mayweather, so that kind of takes the air out of having a “Champion of the Decade” strap being given out. To me, it’s like giving out a degree that doesn’t mean a whole lot.

Pacquiao and Marquez have fought a lot of times already, and this is one of the few fights where neither of them are belt holders. I just wish that they had turned down this belt and just fought without some kind of status trinket because it’s not needed. The fight itself is enough or it should be. You need the sanctioning bodies creating special titles just so that the fight is validated somehow as being worthy.