Mexican lightweight Juan Manuel Marquez more than proved his worth Saturday night; he solidified his place as another Mexican boxing legend after knocking out the exciting Juan Diaz in the ninth round. In this, his 16th year as a pro, the 35 year-old Marquez has a strong case for being the world's best pound for pound boxer, but I wouldn't crown him just yet.
Right now Manny Pacquiao holds the title of boxing's best P4P and is set to fight Ricky Hatton in a junior welterweight bout on May 2 on HBO. The megafight is a potential fight-of-the-year candidate and the outcome will have a domino effect on the welterweight division.
Marquez has met Pacquiao in the ring twice before resulting in two epic bouts; the first ended in a draw while Marquez came out the loser in a decision in the second. From there, Pacquiao went on to bigger stardom while Marquez was left to scratch and claw his way back to the top of the boxing world by knocking out future Hall of Famer, Joel Casamayor.
Now, with Pacquiao occupied and Marquez wanting to stay busy by fighting the best of the best, I guess there's only one person on Marquez's mind: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Marquez made a bold move by calling out the former P4P champ after the fight Saturday night on HBO saying, "I'm going to go up (in weight) and beat Floyd Mayweather. Pacquiao's the best pound for pound, but he really doesn't want to fight me. I want to fight the best pound for pound and that would be Mayweather."
I agree with and applaud Marquez's courage. Why lose ground by fighting a lesser opponent and someone who wouldn't create as big of a pay day? The only problem is getting Mayweather out of retirement.
Picture how big this fight would be! HBO would have no choice but to cash in by putting it on pay-per-view, they could fight in Las Vegas, and the contrasting styles would make this fight one for the ages. Mayweather is arguably the quickest boxer ever and is a master at creating tough angles for opponents to recover from. He's great at using his slyness and body movement skills to avoid heavy punishment while always staying on the offensive with a dangerous straight overhand right that stays cocked ready to fire.
Marquez usually brings the action to his opponents quickly. Though, he has started slowly in some recent fights, his activity rate is consistently very high. He makes his opponents to brawl at times and has a very tough chin. Against Mayweather he'd have his hands full but I wouldn't count him out. Now, if only promoters can find a way to get this fight made. Fight fans will have to wait and see.
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