This Saturday night, September 19, 2009, Floyd Mayweather makes his return to the ring for what he is hoping will be his first step in reclaiming the  Best Pound For Pound Fighter tag. While the Oddsmakers seem to think that Mayweather will walk away with this one, there are those in certain boxing circles who can make and argument both ways. Let's look at some of the factors:

1. Ring Rust- Does Floyd Mayweather have ring rust from his time off. My guess is that if he does, it's going to be minor as he hasn't really been retired for all that long. Most fighters these days fight two times a year, sometimes three. Some of those fights only go a few rounds so it's possible that they don't get more than a few actual rounds in a year outside of training in the gym. While there are plenty of other things which will factor into this fight, this isn't one of them.

2. Size- This one is one of the things that may matter most and one of the reason why Mayweather is such a big favorite. It wasn't too long ago that Marquez was fighting at as low as 126 pounds. When he fought Manny Pacquiao in March of 2008, it was at 130. Of course Pacquiao has made a successful weight transition upward but can Marquez's frame support it?

JMM himself claims that the added weight will only make him stronger as when he has been training he can eat and build muscle and strength instead of concentrating on losing weight. This will remain to be seen whether Marquez can retain his speed.

For Mayweather this is more of a natural weight for him though he is still in the gym losing weight and his eating and dietary habits are definitely a factor in his entire life as he trains for this fight.

3. Styles- What we have here is two counter punchers which doesn't make for a great fight. We have seen Marquez be more aggressive the past few years and he seems to get hit a lot early and then settles into the fight and has performed extremely well in the middle to late rounds. Marquez is vulnerable, especially to left hands but he is also a text book tactician and one of the most precise pin point punchers the sport has ever seen. While Marquez had some power in the lower weights, I'm not so sure it transitions itself well to this high of a weight.

Floyd Mayweather is one of the fastest boxers to ever step foot in the ring. His speed is his defense and he is a master of deception. He has proved to be vulnerable to the jab but you rarely if never see Floyd get hit with big punches. If Marquez is going to get to Mayweather, it will have to be with a series of punches. Mayweather will have a size and reach advantage and his style is to box. It will be interesting to see if he can keep the smaller Marquez off of him while still being effective.

4. Level of Competiton- Without a doubt this is Marquez's biggest advantage in this fight. Marquez has fought a much higher level of competiton than Mayweather, even though they are smaller men. If you look at Marquez's fights he has fought everyone who hasn't ducked him. Marquez's list includes: Juan Diaz, Manny Pacquiao (twice), and Chis John (loss).

Floyd Mayweather has never fought a boxer with the skills of Juan Manuel Marquez. Mayweather has fought slower and more stationary fighters. Mayweather's list includes Ricky Hatton, Arturo Gatti, and an aging Oscar De La Hoya.

CONCLUSION - I think Juan Manuel Marquez has more than just a shot of winning this fight. At the current odds he is certainly worth taking a chance on. Mayweather has never faced a better boxer than Marquez. Mayweather's best chance is to get Marquez out of there early as that's when he's been most vulnerable. If Marquez can withstand the early rounds and get inside in the mid to late rounds, it should be a place where Floyd has never been before.

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Mayweather has always fought smaller and/or older men
written by dpvog, September 20, 2009

Q1) When was the last time FMM fought a younger opponent who had a reach advantage?
Q2) What percentage of FMM opponents have been older than he was?
Q3) What percentage of FMM opponents have had a reach disadvantage?
Q4) Why has FMM refused to fight SM for the last eight years? Maybe reach?
In my opinion FMM has excellent speed, skills, and instinct, but truly great fighters must also have heart and courage, neither of which Mayweather has ever displayed. Since he has always avoided the best available opponents, and has always fought carefully chosen older or smaller men (and usually, both older AND smaller) any talk of him being the best pound for pound fighter is totally inappropriate. A very brave Marquez just fought a bigger younger FMM and in the process showed tremendous courage and character. Floyd could step up in weight, the same way Hatton and Marquez did to fight him, and challege Paul Williams, but he never will, because he doesn't have the courage of the heart to take on a younger opponent with a reach advantage, the way Marquez just did.

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written by Mitch, September 20, 2009

Very insightful and accurate commentary. It's tough to think of Floyd as the best out there, he just isn't a "warrior" like so many of the all time greats. He picks and choses well and it will be interesting to see if he fights Manny or Mosely, two guys who can give him a fight though I'm not sure Manny is big enough, at least the odds will be nice

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