Mayweather and Canelo update

It has been reported with near certainty that Floyd Mayweather will return to fight on the 4th of May at the MGM Grand, likely along with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

The likelihood is that Mayweather will headline the star bill with a fight against Robert 'The Ghost' Guerrero.  Alvarez is now more likely to compete against Austin 'No Doubt' Trout, than Miguel Cotto as was previously hoped for by his handlers.

After Trout's impressive but not entirely unexpected win over Cotto, despite not having the marketability and pay per view popularity of Cotto, he is now the frontrunner to face Canelo.

James Kirkland has been mentioned as a possibile foe for Canelo too.  As for 'Money' Mayweather, the opponent is sure to be Guerrero, after his impressive beating of Berto in a slugfest.

My early predictions are as follows:  on the 4th of May, Cinco de Mayo day, Mayweather outpoints Guerrero, and Alvarez defeats Trout via a late ko or unanimous decision.  Then on Sept. 14th, Mexican Independence Day, Mayweather beats Alvarez with a comfortable unanimous points decision victory.

Of course, their fight could be later in the year, as it would be unusual for Floyd to fight in September so soon after May.

Unless Mayweather has slowed down significantly, especially regarding his outstanding hand speed, his boxing IQ and ring generalship should be too much for Saul.

But this is boxing, and provided both win their next bouts, anything can happen.  The young powerful and tough Alvarez could improve greatly, and a shock could be in store.  A vicious bodyshot, such as the one landed by Bernard Hopkins to knock out Oscar de la Hoya with, could be delivered by Canelo.  But I'll hedge my bets and put my money on the most skilled pure boxer of the last 10 years, the money man, Mayweather.

Until next time fight fans.

Pacquiao-Marquez 4 review

Pacquaio-Marquez 4 review

In certainly the best and most exciting fight of the year, and one of the all-time great fights in boxing history, Juan Manuel Marquez sensationally knocked Manny Pacquiao out cold with a devastating modified right hook on the button.

Pacquaio was shockingly knocked out with one single punch for the first time ever since fighting in America and becoming a huge box office pound for pound star.

That Marquez won was not the surprising or shocking thing because I thought he had a fair chance to win, but I and the majority of other observers, fans and experts never thought Juan would ko Pacman, much less with one single punch.

In a see saw battle from the 3rd round onwards, with the first two round going to Manny on more activity and effective aggression, the pivotal round three was uneventful until a brilliantly timed wide looping right hook from Marquez caught Pacquaio on the left side of his head and he went back down on the seat of his pants.

Marquez was cautious although clearly looking to land another big punch, but Pacquiao came back swinging and survived the round well.

Round number four was close but Marquez landed the accurate counter punches he is known for although being caught with a few good trademark straight left hands from the southpaw Pacquaio.

The 5th round saw clearly the best round of the year between two fighters at this elite level, whereas Rios-Alvarado was exciting, both fighters are not at the high skill level of these two pound for pound greats.

Pacquaio seemed well recovered and clearly decided that attack was the best form of defence and that he would not try to outbox the skillful Marquez. Manny was well on the attack and very successful in throwing three and four punch combinations and catching Marquez with many hard straight lefts and a few right hooks. A good quick straight left caught Juan and as he fell to his left side his right glove touched the canvas.

Marquez was not severely hurt but clearly Pacquaio was beginning to hurt him and bust him up as his nose was bloodied and his face significantly bruised.

Marquez survived the round and back to more toe to toe action in the 6th round ensued. Pacquaio was fairly ahead by one point on all the judges scorecards at this point.

The 6th round was close but definitley being won by Pacquiao. And then it happened. A second or two before the bell rang, Marquez sawManny coming in wide open and threw an exquisitely timed right hook as he stayed in the pocket. Pacquiao’s head flung back and he went down like a sack of rocks face first and knocked out unconscious for a few minutes.

Manny’s wife Jinkee was distraught and crying and even assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez was in tears.

Thankfully Pacquiao got up and was even able to conduct interviews afterwards. He said he will definitely continue and that these things can happen in boxing. So true.

Juan Manuel was unsure if he would continue fighting professionally and if a fifth fight between these two would take place, but if another bout happens between the two, nobody outside of their families will complain. That is how great a fight it was.

Although a fight involving Mayweather and Pacquaio seems even more unlikely, both Marquez and Pacman could fight Rios, Bradley, Guerrero and even Canelo Alvarez at a catchweight, besides obviously fighting each other.

For those curious, I’d pick Floyd Mayweather to comfortably outbox Pacquiao, and perhaps even knock him out late in the fight, but my interest in that fight has dissipated.

I’d love to see Mayweather vs Martinez at light middleweight, and also Floyd vs Alvarez, and then he could retire. I think he would beat Bradley and Guerrero handily and would not be interested to see those fights.

Marquez could retire or fight Pacquiao again in another money spinner, which I feel Marquez would win again, either points or knockout. He just has Pacquaio’s number for the most part. Forrest had Mosley’s number, and I think if Whitaker and Chavez sr had to fight seven times a week, Whitaker would win each time.

Well done to both Marquez and Pacquiao for putting on a great classic fight that was one for the ages, and a fitting way to end big time boxing for 2012. Congratulations again to Marquez.

Pacquaio-Marquez 4 preview

With less than 2 weeks away from the fourth, and perhaps, final fight between Manny Pacquaio and Juan Manuel Marquez, a brief analysis of the two fighters and what the outcome may be is looked at.

It is clearly the last superfight in boxing of 2012.

Admittedly, I was not privileged enough to see the first two fights in it's entirety, but did see the highlights.  Pacquaio clearly hits harder, and was able to knock down Marquez four times in the first two bouts, yet both fights were controversial.  Many thought Marquez won at least one of those first two fights, if not both.

Having seen the third fight, I definitely think Marquez was robbed and scored it in favor of Juan Manuel by two points.  Even though Pacquaio deserved to get the nod in the fight with Timothy Bradley, it was by far an impressive performance.

One cannot put too much stock into recent updates emanating from the Pacquaio camp, saying he is looking back to his old self.  That was said in the previous Pacquaio camps, but if he can capture the form and sharpness he had in fights with Margarito, Cotto and De La Hoya, he should achieve a clear victory.

Marquez is very tough, and although he has been knocked down a few times, he has never been knocked out.  If he fights as well in the third fight as he did, and Manny shows the same bad form, expect the judges to possibly giving the decision to Marquez.

Keys to victory for Pacquiao:

(1) High volume punching, (2) Sharp fast jabs, (3) Combination punching, (4) Uppercuts and right hooks as well as left hooks with feints, (5) Get punches off first.

Keys to victory for Marquez:

(1) Use timing to counter Pacquaio's superior handspeed, (2) Keep hands high up constantly, (3) Keep left hand up after jabbing, (4) Throw straight right hand and left hook to counter, (5) Get punches off first and finish strongly.

Until next time fight fans.