By Mark Vester
It is official. Moments ago at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, announced that Floyd Mayweather Jr. was coming out of retirement to fight Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18, on HBO pay-per-view, at the MGM Grand. Mayweather fights for the first time since knocking out Ricky Hatton back in December 2007.
The fight took several weeks of back and forth negotiations to make. The money involved was not the big issue. Both fighters argued over the weight. Mayweather, during the early talks, wanted the fight to take place at 147-pounds. Marquez, who holds multiple titles at 135-pounds, wanted the fight to take place at 143 at most. After a few weeks, Mayweather budged a bit and was willing to drop to 145. Marquez still felt the weight was too heavy. After some more talks, the two pulled together and agreed on 143.
After the Hatton win, Mayweather was going to have a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. The talks were serious and De La Hoya even fought Steve Forbes last May as a tuneup for Floyd. The rematch fell apart after Mayweather unexpectedly announced his retirement from the sport. According to insiders, Mayweather was upset with the amount of money De La Hoya was going to receive for the second fight. Based on winning the first fight, and the success of the promotion, Mayweather felt the split for the second bout should have been a lot closer and not one-sided in De La Hoya's favor.
For years Marquez has been sitting in the shadows of his Mexican countrymen, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. Since 2004, when Marquez fought to a controversial draw with Manny Pacquiao, his legacy has been growing. He was always perceived as the "number three" of the bunch but now many experts are re-evaluating that status, and some are actually pushing him above Barrera and/or Morales. A win over Mayweather would send him well above the pack.
Regarded as the number-two pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, Marquez will take part in a fight that is arguably larger and sure to receive more hype than any fight that Barrera or Morales ever took part in. The media frenzy, HBO's 24/7 and numerous pre-fight promotions will probably make Marquez more of a household name, among the casual fans, than Morales or Barrera.
Many see the Marquez bout as an easy fight for Floyd, while others do not. Mayweather could be making a De La Hoya mistake by moving down to a weight where he hasn't seen since the win over Arturo Gatti in 2005. De La Hoya's fight with Pacquiao proved how a few pounds can make a complete difference. Oscar seemed somewhat fine for the fight with Forbes, at 150. He was completely dead for the fight with Pacquiao, held at 147. Oscar did weigh-in at 145 and the weight had a much further stretch than the Mayweather scenario. Oscar had not been below 146 since 1997.
The lingering points are still there. Mayweather is coming off a long layoff. He's been weighing in at 146 to 150 since the fight with Gatti - and nobody knows how those factors may come into play. Maybe they won't matter or maybe the fight will be a lot closer because of them. Remember that prior to Pacquiao's fight with De La Hoya, the bout was viewed as such as mismatch that fans, boxers and people in the industry were protesting to the Las Vegas Athletic Commission to stop the fight. This fight, while not viewed as a mismatch, is viewed by most as a sure Mayweather win.
It is official. Moments ago at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, announced that Floyd Mayweather Jr. was coming out of retirement to fight Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18, on HBO pay-per-view, at the MGM Grand. Mayweather fights for the first time since knocking out Ricky Hatton back in December 2007.
The fight took several weeks of back and forth negotiations to make. The money involved was not the big issue. Both fighters argued over the weight. Mayweather, during the early talks, wanted the fight to take place at 147-pounds. Marquez, who holds multiple titles at 135-pounds, wanted the fight to take place at 143 at most. After a few weeks, Mayweather budged a bit and was willing to drop to 145. Marquez still felt the weight was too heavy. After some more talks, the two pulled together and agreed on 143.
After the Hatton win, Mayweather was going to have a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. The talks were serious and De La Hoya even fought Steve Forbes last May as a tuneup for Floyd. The rematch fell apart after Mayweather unexpectedly announced his retirement from the sport. According to insiders, Mayweather was upset with the amount of money De La Hoya was going to receive for the second fight. Based on winning the first fight, and the success of the promotion, Mayweather felt the split for the second bout should have been a lot closer and not one-sided in De La Hoya's favor.
For years Marquez has been sitting in the shadows of his Mexican countrymen, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. Since 2004, when Marquez fought to a controversial draw with Manny Pacquiao, his legacy has been growing. He was always perceived as the "number three" of the bunch but now many experts are re-evaluating that status, and some are actually pushing him above Barrera and/or Morales. A win over Mayweather would send him well above the pack.
Regarded as the number-two pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, Marquez will take part in a fight that is arguably larger and sure to receive more hype than any fight that Barrera or Morales ever took part in. The media frenzy, HBO's 24/7 and numerous pre-fight promotions will probably make Marquez more of a household name, among the casual fans, than Morales or Barrera.
Many see the Marquez bout as an easy fight for Floyd, while others do not. Mayweather could be making a De La Hoya mistake by moving down to a weight where he hasn't seen since the win over Arturo Gatti in 2005. De La Hoya's fight with Pacquiao proved how a few pounds can make a complete difference. Oscar seemed somewhat fine for the fight with Forbes, at 150. He was completely dead for the fight with Pacquiao, held at 147. Oscar did weigh-in at 145 and the weight had a much further stretch than the Mayweather scenario. Oscar had not been below 146 since 1997.
The lingering points are still there. Mayweather is coming off a long layoff. He's been weighing in at 146 to 150 since the fight with Gatti - and nobody knows how those factors may come into play. Maybe they won't matter or maybe the fight will be a lot closer because of them. Remember that prior to Pacquiao's fight with De La Hoya, the bout was viewed as such as mismatch that fans, boxers and people in the industry were protesting to the Las Vegas Athletic Commission to stop the fight. This fight, while not viewed as a mismatch, is viewed by most as a sure Mayweather win.