Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants you to know he’s the baddest man on the earth, capable of busting up a 7-foot superheavyweight heel who calls himself The Big Show. Cutting him down to size was no sweat for a little guy who really knows how to put on a big show. In fact, go dig up Andre the Giant, and Pretty Boy Floyd will take him out too.
Floyd also wants to tell you “beer drinkers” out there what he thinks of those tattooed dudes who do battle in mixed martial arts: “You can’t take my shoes off and take my shirt off and just throw me in a cage. You do that with animals. You don’t do that with humans.” At least not some races of humans: “In boxing, we know who’s dominating. Black fighters and Hispanic fighters is dominating in this sport. And this is not a racial statement, but there’s no white fighters in boxing that’s dominating. So they had to go to something else and start something new.”
(Got that, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Tomaz Adamek, and Carl Froch, you UFC wannabes? This goes for you too, Anderson Silva, Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson, Miguel Torres, Lyoto Machida, and you other non-white MMAers. And don’t even think of looking up from your Coors Light, Brock Lesnar.)
Mayweather, in case you haven’t heard, is coming out of retirement a month from tonight against some guy he hardly ever mentions. Floyd has plenty to say about the WWE and UFC, and he’ll even talk boxing if the name of Manny Pacquiao, his successor as the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter, is brought up. But at the opening bell Sept. 19 in Las Vegas, it may be the first time Mayweather looks straight ahead at Juan Manuel Marquez.
This is a mistake. Sure, Mayweather is the favorite. He’s won all 39 of his professional fights, often in dominating displays of speedy defense and unpredictable punching angles. But Marquez is no pushover, no made-to-order tuneup opponent. He has 50 wins in 55 fights, and 37 have come by knockout. Those KOs were against featherweights and lightweights (126 to 135 pounds), not a welterweight (147) like Floyd. But he’s beaten top talent like Marco Antonio Barrera, Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz, and got the better of Pacquiao for most of their first bout, a draw. He’s a tough guy who comes to fight. Mayweather had better be on his toes.
Will he? Floyd has had some distractions lately, not only the self-created ones cited above but also the arrest of his trainer uncle earlier this month. He also must contend with the dreaded pugilistic ailment known as ring rust, having not fought since 2007. Is that a recipe for success against “the second best fighter in boxing,” as Floyd Mayweather Sr. has called his son’s opponent?
Even if Floyd does win in the ring, he could end the night as a loser in the game he seems to be most concerned about: money. He’s made lots of it via pay-per-view fight telecasts over his career, a point he’s driven home in his dismissive critiques of MMA, a sport he sees as small-time. But UFC president Dana White has unloaded with a counterpunch, contending that Mayweather’s best PPV numbers have come not because of Floyd but because of his matchups (vs. Oscar De La Hoya, vs. Arturo Gatti, vs. Carlos Baldomir). “Floyd doesn’t sell fights, Floyd vs. a great opponent sells fights,” says White. “Not that I’m saying Marquez isn’t a good fighter, he’s a great fighter. But it’s just not a fight that people want to see right now.”
Those who agree with Dana White have another PPV option Sept. 19: UFC 103. That’s right, the sport that Floyd says can’t beat his PPV numbers is going to go head to head with him.
You’ve got to love that, even if you’re not an MMA fan. Why? Because to compete with a UFC card stacked with a dozen appealingly competitive fights, headed by a battle of ex-champions Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort, Golden Boy Promotions has added luster to the Mayweather-Marquez undercard. Too often a boxing PPV has a great main event and not much more. But on the Sept. 19 card in Vegas, Chris Johns will defend his featherweight title in a rematch of his draw with Rocky Juarez, former welterweight champion Zab Judah will face Antonio Diaz and the always entertaining Michael Katsidis will fight ex-US Olympian Vicente Escobedo.
It’s shaping up as a great night of fights, with Floyd Mayweather Jr. taking on two formidable foes: Juan Manuel Marquez and the UFC. Can Floyd keep his focus on the guy across the ring?
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boxing, Dana White, floyd mayweather jr., Golden Boy, Juan Manuel Marquez, mixed martial arts, mma, The Big Show, UFC 103, WWE
junior jay says:
Good article. As a floyd fan (inside the ring not outside i hate all the yapping) it might not be a bad thing for him to lose atleast in my case cuz then we might see a more focused mayweather the next time around. only thing is pacquiaos proclaimed the cash king but his two biggest fights were against the same two opponents in which mayweather had his biggest numbers and floyds fight vs them scored bigger numbers so i dont get peoples logic their either way if he aint focused fighting a smaller opponent could backfire on him ill pay to see the fight cuz im a real fan who wants to see more than just a knockout or who can take the most punches but to each his own
YoYo says:
When you look at the numbers from Mayweather fights with DLH and Hatton compared to Manny (with the same fighters), the first PPV fights were much higher. Alot has changed then. The slumping economy. I was just surprised that Manny vs DLH and Manny vs Hatton was able to draw big numbers.
The true test is this coming Sept and Nov. Who will do better. I'm also going to spot Mayweather 150,000 buys becuase of UFC 103 happening on the same date.
Tito says:
"Got that, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Tomaz Adamek, and Carl Froch, you UFC wannabes?"
The joke's on you. You just named a series of white guys who are definitely not considered top p4p fighters in boxing.
I'll give you a few examples in case you don't get it. The Klitschkos: considered boring fighters who are only at the top of the heavyweight division because the heavyweight division isn't very good right now to begin with. Calzaghe: not even an active fighter. Even when he was, he only looked great against no-name Europeans and fighters who would have beaten him in a few rounds when they were as young as him. Ricky Hatton: got destroyed by Mayweather, then got destroyed again by Pacquiao. Where have you been? He's never been considered a truly elite fighter. Pavlik: got utterly embarrassed by a black guy (what a coincidence) who's 17 years OLDER than him and was a 4 to 1 underdog.
Sonny Peralta says:
Mayweather should focus and win on this coming fight with Marquez and by that, as some boxing expert commentator saying specially when Pcman also victorious between Cotto, Here comes the biggest HURICANE that was provably striking the SIN CITY Capital of USA. I am very optimistic that the forecasted strong Huricane will happen on the 2nd quarter of 2010.
PCMAN vs MAYWEATHER "D REAL P4P KING". I LOVE TO SEE & WATCH THIS FIGHT, LET's GET IT ON.
hollowmind says:
MR JEFF YOUR CORRECT GAYWEATHER IS THE BADDEST PERSON IN TERMS OF ATTITUDE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE RING, BIGHEADS, LIAR, BADMOUTH AND RUNNING FROM IRS AND INSIDE THE RING...
THE OUTCOME OF TICKET SELL TELLS THE TRUTH...HEHEHEHEHEHE IT IS EATEN BY FLIES....LOOK AT MANNY-COTTO FIGHT IT IS ALMOST SOLD OUT IN TWO DAYS TIME....WHO IS THE BOX OFFICE KING AND P4P ANYWAY??? INTERESTING RIGHT.....
guy weather says:
pick big man i dont think so. the guy pick lilman marquez and duck 4 life cotto,pac for ever
badweather says:
really bad mayweather....hehehehe....bad ticket sales...manny is generous to give mayweather 50 - 50 but ifi were manny i will give him only 40% or less share is enough for him. mayweather is not the best drawer as he thinks...stupid guy with stupid mind... in five months time ticket sales speaks...look at pacquiao-cotto in two days time almost sold-out...
badweather says:
watching mayweather fight is boring...i will not waste my money buying PPV either... i better sleep and wait the highlights at YOUTUBE for free...nice yaah.
ARCH7enemy says:
oh boy. floyd vs the big show is a no brainer. of course that's scripted. floyd better stop boxing and continue with this kinds of freak show. boxing don't need him. the sept 19 fight undercard is far better than the main event. i never saw something like this. floyd the fraud mayweather comes back to steal your hard earned money. watch out people
wentabs says:
people knew who is best drawer right now it's not pretty boy, money mayweather's career were totally faded the ticket sales of their fight with marquez were too slow compare to cotto vs. pacman fight..If I were mayweather I will fight the pacman if he ain't scared however Pacman will have 65% percent share and 35% to fading Mayweather...PACMAN TODAY IS MOST DEMAND FIGHTERS...
jim rambo says:
This will not be a Mexican standoff but a Mexican pound off. Marquez in seven by TKO. Make 3 for every 1 bet.
larry merchant says:
the picture above is actually quite funny. speaks a lot too of mayweather. he only fights big guys...when scripted.
lame.
kilomydog says:
I am a boxing fan ever since I was a hild and have never paid for a Mayweather fight.He is not exciting or that talented. He is always fight smaller opponents are never moved up to really test himself.I agree that Oscar,Hatton, and Judah were the people the paid to see, not Floyd.He is boring REALLY BORING twelve rounds of you changing the channel from time to time.
Sonny Peralta says:
Yes you are absolutely right badweather, This is our reference if who will give a big draw on ticket sales & Pay Per View. Pcman-Cotto, or Mayweather-Marquez, so that for the seek of everybody if ever PCMAN-MAYWEATHER will materialized, sharing would be justifiable, But for my opinion 60-40 in favor of PCMAN why because PCMAN is the current P4P anf if ever winning to Cotto he will be defending WBO Welter weight plus Pcman-Cotto is higher sales than bla. bla you know
More Power to all
magic says:
@juniorjay
if you want logic consider and compare the times when fm fought odlh and hatton. thats one factor that can give you logic, actually its not logic its economics. its like considering the value of money years past to present and also the prevailing economic situations between the two periods. think deeper bud so youll not just squander your hard earned money to something that is not worth it.
china_boy says:
junior jay you don't get the logic of the Pacman being the cash king? Are you a retard or something? Think man, when Manny Pacquiao faught Dela Hoya and Hatton it was during the recession and stil it was a biggie. Now barely 3 days after tickets went on sale for the Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight and we are seeing that tickets are selling like hot cakes. Mayweather vs Marquez fight has been selling tickets since July and you could still get the cheap sits...So is that so hard a logic to comprehend? GBP even has to do a lot of publicity so this fight will sell and to top that, they need to come up with big names in their undercard so it will sell....
luvbrothel says:
HaHa. All you sorry saps down on Mayweather/Marquez are going to miss something special: Mayweather's first loss, and Marquez being hailed the new pound for pound king, based purely on who Marquez has been fighting (REAL FIGHTERS) compared to Pacman's wimpy fights. Pacquiao/Marquez 3 coming up, Marquez win, Marquez retires in the glory he always sought.
ahaha says:
shut the fuck up hater
Floyd beat Marquez silly