By Manuel Perez: Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be in over his head on Saturday night and wishing he had taken a tune-up bout or three before facing a fighter like Juan Manuel Marquez. This is going to be the proving ground for Marquez, who is moving up two divisions to take the fight with Mayweather. I suppose Mayweather was counting on his size advantage to ensure that he beats Marquez, but the size won’t be enough and neither will Mayweather’s overrated speed advantage.
That won’t help him either. Mayweather is only one inch taller than Marquez and only five or so inches longer in the reach department. You can totally forget about the size being a factor in this fight. What will matter is heart, and toughness. That’s where the fight will be won.
Mayweather hasn’t had to dig down deep and go to war with anyone in years. To a certain extent, Mayweather had to fight hard in his first fight with Jose Luis Castillo in 2002. Mayweather looked plenty worried in that fight with all the punches that Castillo was able to get through his guard.
Mayweather took a minor beating in that fight, and really should have lost the bout as far as I’m concerned. Castillo looked like won by at least two rounds. But Mayweather didn’t look in getting hit a lot and seemed to be more concerned with trying to make Castillo miss than to trade shots with him. The only way Mayweather is going to beat Marquez on Saturday is if he can out-punch Marquez some way.
Mayweather isn’t going to be able to win by running around the ring in big circles or by jabbing Marquez all night long. That kind of thing works against limited fighters but not a brilliant technician like Marquez. Mayweather is going to have to fight Marquez’s fight if he expects to win, and I don’t think Mayweather is capable of fighting that hard. Marquez just seems to want it much more than Mayweather, who has been taking things easy for the past two years in his retirement.
Marquez’s ruggedness and willingness to take punches in an effort to get his own punches in will be Mayweather’s downfall in this fight. I know the objective is not to get hit, but in boxing you have to be able to take shots if you’re facing an opponent that pressures the way Marquez will be doing against Mayweather on September 19th.
Mayweather won’t be able to win on the cheap by running, grabbing and throwing pot shots. That kind of garbage works only against the limited competition that Mayweather has been feasting on for the past four years. Mayweather might as well have retired in 2002, because he’s been on shut down since then, facing a bunch of soft fighters that couldn’t hold a candle to the greatness of Marquez.
This is like jumping in the deep end of a pool without knowing how to swim. Mayweather hasn’t had the prerequisite fights in the past seven years to prepare him for the beating and punishment that he’ll be sustaining against Marquez.
You’re only as good as the fighters you face. Mayweather, I think, has stunted his ability by facing easy fighters for the past seven years, and his recent two retirement from boxing didn’t help him any. I see Marquez knocking Mayweather with big right hand or left hook.
Marquez has too much power, grit and determination for Mayweather. Floyd might have been a good fighter in the past, but he’s grown soft with mediocre opposition he’s faced.
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