Mayweather Destroyed Marquez

Floyd Mayweather Jr. returned to the ring with another emphatic victory. Maybe next time he’ll pick on somebody his own size. Mayweather overpowered the smaller, lighter Juan Manuel Marquez for an unanimous decision Saturday night, maintaining his perfect record in his return from retirement and a 21-month ring absence. Mayweather knocked down Marquez in the second round and then peppered him with countless damaging shots to remain unbeaten (40-0, 25 KOs). “I can get better,” Mayweather said. “He’s tough as nails.” Marquez (50-5-1) was a 130-pounder just 18 months ago, but the Mexican champion moved up two weight classes to be Mayweather’s hand-picked comeback opponent. At Friday’s weigh-in, he was four pounds lighter than Mayweather, who paid a $600,000 penalty for missing the bout weight of 144 pounds. The size disparity was painfully obvious from the opening bell, but Marquez stayed on his feet for 12 one-sided rounds. Mayweather often appeared to be toying with Marquez, who’s generally considered among the world’s top handful of fighters. Just 18 months ago, Marquez lost a narrow decision to Manny Pacquiao – another mighty mite who’s likely Mayweather’s top choice for his next bout. Pacquiao accepted a similarly mismatched challenge last year when he demolished Oscar De La Hoya, but the Golden Boy acknowledges his skills have diminished – and Mayweather clearly is still at the top of his game. Mayweather was too heavy and too speedy for his undersized Mexican opponent in his first fight since stopping Ricky Hatton in December 2007. Mayweather had a hefty advantage in this one, weighing in at 146 pounds Friday. He refused to re-weigh himself Saturday night, but his size advantage was obvious from the opening bell, when it became clear Marquez would struggle just to get close enough to throw good combinations. Mayweather abruptly knocked down Marquez midway through the second round when Marquez walked into a left hook, but Mayweather largely stuck to his jab, leaned back in his familiar defensive posture and picked apart another opponent. Marquez had a bloody nose by the bout’s midway point, and Mayweather landed several hard shots late in the sixth. Whenever Marquez appeared to land a combination, Mayweather invariably backed away with a grin. "When I hit him, he laughed, but I knew he felt my punches," Marquez said. "We tried to work the speed, but the difference was the weight." Marquez added a brave defeat to a career noted for its disappointments as much as its triumphs. Marquez still seethes over his 0-1-1 record in two fights against Pacquiao, and he followed Pacquiao's path up in weight in search of bigger bouts, which he got in recent wins over Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz. Mayweather chose Marquez for his return bout after flirting with Pacquiao, who will fight Miguel Cotto in the same arena less than two months from now. A Mayweather-Pacquiao fight would be the biggest in the sport, but a more natural opponent also wants a little Money. Sugar Shane Mosley called out Mayweather in the ring immediately after the fight, with Golden Boy representatives forced to separate the two. The brash-talking Mayweather, who has continually bragged he is the best fighter of his generation, refused to be drawn into the Pacquiao discussion shortly after his triumphant return. "People say Pacquiao is number one," the 32-year-old told a news conference. "I don't have to rate myself. I know what I can do. Pound-for-pound is an opinion. "I was a professional for 11 years, and I was a world champion for 10 years. I went away for two years, came back, I fought the number two fighter. I didn't rate him, they did. "I am a critic of myself. I want to be the best I can be." End of argument for Mayweather. For the boxing public, that argument can only be settled once Mayweather enters the ring with Pacquiao. I am ready for that fight personally.