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Will Floyd Mayweather Jr avoid Manny Pacquiao when the time comes?

The self proclaiming greatest fighter of all time, undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. has returned to the sport of boxing to face Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. Many have predicted, expected, and called for Mayweather’s return ever since he announced his retirement last summer. Now that the former pound for pound king is back to reclaim his throne, there have been questions as to why he is once again competing. Throughout the press tour, Mayweather has insisted that he is returning for the love of the sport, but also suggests that he fight for checks rather than bragging rights. Could it possibly be all about the money for Mayweather?

One would think that the love of the sport would stem from one’s feeling of climbing into the ring and mastering one’s art against a line of tough and worthy adversaries. In a recent interview on ESPN News, Floyd admitted, “Boxing is in my heart, it’s an adrenaline rush, but mainly it is the fans.” Mayweather later countered his passion for the sport with his love for money, boldly claiming, “You can call Pacquiao the best pound for pound, just call me the cash cow.”

Keeping in mind that he is fighting for checks rather than bragging rights, it is incumbent on Mayweather to realize that it takes two stars to make a big multi-million dollar PPV fight. Pacquiao serves as a substantially greater pay day for Mayweather than does Marquez, Shane Mosley, or Miguel Cotto. Considering the money that Mayweather generally takes home with him on the night of a fight, there could potentially be a difference of five to 10 million dollars going to Mayweather for a Pacquiao fight than for any other fight that could be made at this point. Why is this the case? Pacquiao is head and shoulders above any other potential Mayweather opponents as it pertains to star status and marketing power.

Given Money May’s love affair for currency, boxing fans and observers must be wondering if a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao is ever going to happen. Is this a match up that is going to fall apart at the seams when it reaches the negotiation table? Just as people might forget that Pacquiao has two knockout losses early in his career as well as unanimous decision loss to Erik Morales in 2005, it should be dually noted that Marquez is not undefeated and has a split decision loss to Pacquiao that is a little over a year old. Pacquiao’s devastating two round knockout of Ricky Hatton sets the stage for what would be a huge mega fight between the two best pound for pound fighters in the world.

Should Mayweather successfully defeat Marquez on July 18, and in more impressive fashion than Pacquiao was able to accomplish, demand for a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight would be truly astronomical.

Mayweather vs. Marquez officially set for July 18!

"I’m here to stay. I’m here to fight and reclaim what’s mine. I’m the king and nobody has taken my throne."
-Floyd Mayweather, Jr.


On the afternoon of the Pacquiao vs. Hatton fight in Las Vegas, former pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr announced his return to the sport as well as his July 18 battle against lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.

Following Manny Pacquiao's two round destruction of Ricky Hatton, boxing fans are looking forward to the fight between Mayweather and Marquez, which will be contested at a catch weight of 144lbs, staged at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas NV, and will be televised on HBO PPV in a card promotionally billed "Number One/Numero Uno." HBO's acclaimed reality series, 24/7, will once again return to cover the lives and training camps of both Mayweather and Marquez in the weeks leading up to their date with destiny in Mayweather/Marquez 24/7.

While Pacquiao has built a reputation for myself as the reigning best pound for pound fighter in the world, Mayweather insists that he remains the best. During the official announcement of the Mayweather vs. Marquez fight a couple weeks ago, Mayweather implied, "When it comes to July 18, I don’t need to tell you what I’m going to do. A small man will never retire me. I’m here to stay. I’m here to fight and reclaim what’s mine. I’m the king and nobody has taken my throne."

Marquez acknowledges that that he must beat the best if he really wants to be considered the best. As the days and months wind down and we get closer to July 18, fans and experts will focusing on the three fighters who are undeniably the top three best pound for pound fighters in the world today - Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, and Juan Manuel Marquez. It could be fun to witness just how things will unfold between these three elite-level fighters!

photo: daylife.com

Pacquiao destroys Hatton!

Manny Pacquiao KO2 Ricky Hatton... Last night I made my usual trip to Miami Mike's Sports Zone, where I watch all of the big PPV boxing matches. Attendance at the Sports Zone last night was great, which illustrates just how many people in a given county of a specific state enjoy the sport of boxing.

At the MGM Grand in Las Vegas NV, pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao stopped Ricky Hatton in 2nd round to win the junior welterweight championship of the world. Pacquiao scored two knockdowns in the first round, but Hatton wasn't seriously hurt and survived the first round. The knockdown in the second round, product of a left hook by Pacquiao, instantly froze Hatton and sent him sprawling to the canvas for the ten count. The ringside physician, along with a number of Hatton's handlers, were tending to Hatton who remained on the canvas for several minutes. In what was classified as the most significant fight of the year, with boxing media and experts almost split down the middle as to who they believed would emerge victorious, Pacquiao made it look effortless.

With such an electrifying victory, Pacquiao may have set himself up for a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr, who announced his return to sport as well as his July 18 fight against lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez at a catch weight of 144lbs. Mayweather must first defeat Marquez before a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight can even become reality. Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum suggested to the media that he would not wait around for Mayweather. “We’re not going to wait around for Mayweather,” said Arum. “If Cotto wants to come down a few pounds, we can make that happen. Or we can go with Shane Mosley.”

At the end of the evening, I took a few moments to speak to observers at the Sports Zone about the prospects of a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight as well as the upcoming Mayweather vs. Marquez fight. A cute waitress of Philippino descent approached me and professed her love for Pacquiao, raising her forearm and showing me the name "Pacquiao" tattooed to her forearm. That is the kind of love and following that Pacquiao brings into the ring with him for each and every fight.

Undercard results

Humberto Soto TKO9 Benoit Gaudet
Daniel Jacobs W8 Michael Walker
Matvey Korobov TKO2 Anthony Bartinelli
Erislandy Lara W4 Chris Gray

television: HBO Pay Per View

The wait is over! Pacquiao vs. Hatton prediction, Floyd Mayweather Jr, and more!

I have been idle for a while, but the wait is finally over. The wait for an update at Boxingchronicles.com, but more significantly, the wait for the much anticipated sweet scientific meeting between East and West.

Pound for Pound king Manny Pacquiao will meet defending world champion Ricky Hatton in a 140lb title fight tonight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. Yours truly will be enjoying a meal and some drinks at Miami Mike's Sports Zone, pound for pound the best sports bar in the country, while covering this event.

Pacquiao was last seen in December dismantling and stopping Oscar De la hoya in nine one-sided and embarrassing rounds. Hatton's last fight was a November title defense against Paulie Malignaggi, in which the British star pummeled and stopped the Brooklyn native in eleven equally one-sided rounds.

HBO's acclaimed reality series Pacquiao vs. Hatton 24/7 has been a hype machine that has steered up both boxing fans and casual sports fans around the world in anticipation of tonight's contest. Anybody who is anybody, competing professionally from lightweight to welterweight, is watching this fight with attentive eyes. At this point in time, those weight classes serve as the economic linkage in boxing, a pre-crashed Wall Street if you will, and it is populated with a number of talented, experienced and exciting fighters, young and old, who are all watching closely tonight because they want a shot at glory as well as a nice fat pay check.

Pacquiao vs. Hatton is so far the biggest and perhaps most significant fight of 2009. I say 'so far' only because an official announcement is expected to be made this evening prior to the fight taking place. Undefeated former pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr, who has not seen action in the prize ring since stopping Hatton in a welterweight title fight in December of 2007, is planning a come back fight for July 18.

While the opponent and venue have not yet been made public, it is expected that Mayweather will be fighting a previous Pacquiao victim - world lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez - at a catch weight of 144lbs. The fight will probably take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.Such a come back fight would stand alone as a significant money-making affair watched by millions around the world. Another HBO 24/7 series upcoming for that fight? You can bank on it.

Should Mayweather defeat Marquez in July, and Pacquiao beat Hatton tonight, that sets the stage for what could potentially be a Superbowl of boxing at the end of the year. Rarely does anybody get a chance to witness two of the best pound for pound fighters, in their primes, facing off against one another to determine who is the undisputed, universally recognized best boxer in the world pound for pound. Usually the top pound for pound fighters are too far apart from one another in weight, but I can already envision what is truly and honestly the real Dream Match - Pound 4 Pound: Pacquiao vs. Mayweather. Superbowl of Boxing. Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet, ladies and gentlemen. First thing is first; we have tonight's super fight between Pacquiao and Hatton which isn't too shabby either.

Pacquiao has improved skill wise ever since losing a decision to Erik Morales in March of 2005. Since that defeat, Pacquiao has become a fast, two fisted fighter who is using his right hand along with his devastating straight left. While Pacquiao's punching power has not been nearly as apparent since moving up in weight from the junior featherweight and featherweight weight classes, he makes up for it with boxing skill.

Ever since Hatton's crushing defeat at the hands of Mayweather, Hatton fired trainer Billy Graham and replaced him with Floyd Mayweather Sr. Mayweather Sr. has worked with Hatton to improve his hand speed, defense, and ability to throw combinations. Hatton has been known to punch to the body with full force, reminiscent of Mexican legend and all-time great Julio Cesar Chavez, but he has not always been successful neutralizing the opposing charge of his opponents when fighting his way inside. I think Hatton is going to move his head more as he comes in, but Pacquiao's speed of hand and foot as well as boxing ability will keep Pacquiao a step ahead of Hatton all night long.

Pacquiao is a special fighter. He is perceived as a the best pound for pound fighter in the world for a reason. With only one loss to Morales in the last 10 years, which he managed to avenge twice with brutal stoppages, Pacquiao has defeated a who's who from 122lbs to 147lbs. That is a wide span of multiple weight divisions. Outside of his title winning victory over Kostya Tszyu in 2005, Hatton still has yet to achieve something special in the ring that also defines him as a special fighter.

Prediction

This fight will be exciting, perhaps even a classic, as long as it lasts. Similar to the great lightweight fight between Marquez and Juan Diaz a month and a half ago, this is a solid match up of pressure and precision. Personally I don't believe Hatton is going to have an answer for Pacquiao's straight left hand. I think Pacquiao is just too fast, accurate, and Hatton will not be able to avoid Pacquiao's left hand. I think Pacquiao has the tools to outbox Hatton, but I see him stopping Hatton due to an accumulation of punishment. Hatton will pose a serious threat for the first six rounds or so, putting forth a spirited effort to up end Pacquiao with his aggression and body punches, but Pacquiao's blinding punch output and accuracy will gradually force Hatton into a survival mode, at which point Hatton's aggression will be followed up with holding and clinching rather than letting his hands go when he gets remotely close to Pacquiao. Pacquiao's punches with have an accumulative effect and I eventually see him hurting Hatton and finishing him off in the middle to late rounds.

Pacquiao TKO 9

Pacquiao vs. Hatton: East Meets West will be televised on HBO PPV. Telecast will begin at 9PM E/T 6PM P/T.