Mayweather VS Marquez Fight Continues

Floyd Mayweather Jr. insists it's not all about the money.

Not totally, anyway.

"I guess I just missed boxing," Mayweather said Saturday. "Somebody's got to keep the sport up and running. Why not me?"

That was the question Mayweather asked himself as he took a break from the sport that has consumed his life from the time he learned to walk. He wasn't gone long, but his 11-month retirement was enough to make him realize that he wanted to fight -- and fight a lot more.

"I'm still the biggest draw in boxing," Mayweather said. "Everybody wants to fight me because they know I'm the cash cow."

Mayweather, 32, will return to the ring July 18 in a fight against lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez, who will move up two weight classes to get his share of the riches a Mayweather fight can produce. It will be his first fight since he stopped Ricky Hatton in the 10th round of their December 2007 bout.

"I left on top, and I came back on top," Mayweather said. "I'm here to fight and reclaim what's mine."

Indeed, when Mayweather announced his retirement last June he was generally regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, an honor now mainly given Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather's decision to retire instead of fighting a rematch against Oscar De La Hoya led to Pacquiao getting the shot that he capitalized on.

Mayweather announced his comeback plans in a theater at the MGM Grand hotel, just hours before Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton were to meet in a 140-pound fight in the hotel's arena.

Mayweather, should he beat Marquez, could get the winner of Saturday's fight in the fall, but he wasn't planning to stick around and watch it.

"I'm taking my daughter bowling tonight," he said.

Mayweather, who is unbeaten in 39 fights, brushed off questions about the state of his finances, saying he made $8 million last year without having a fight and that the rumors he was in financial difficulty were just that. But the lure of many more millions was in the back of his mind as he began sparring once again in recent weeks, the itch to fight returning.

Mayweather was always well known in boxing, but it was the HBO reality series "24/7" featuring his dysfunctional family before his fight with De La Hoya that really cemented his fame. He took advantage of it to appear as a contestant on "Dancing With The Stars," made an appearance as a wrestler in Wrestlemania and currently appears in an AT&T television commercial.

"I bring the most controversy to the sport," he said. "The others are too nice. This is a brutal sport."

Mayweather and his advisers were coy about the contract weight for the Marquez fight, saying it would be a welterweight bout. But De La Hoya, who will be promoting the fight, said it calls for a 143-pound limit instead of the 147-pound welterweight limit.

That was a concession to Marquez, who just last year weighed 129 pounds for a fight against Pacquiao and has only fought twice as a lightweight. Though moving up in weight, Marquez is still considered a dangerous opponent, and many thought he won both his fights against Pacquiao.

Vic Darchinyan Wants To Fight Manny Pacquiao

It seems that every top boxer of their respective division is aiming for the head of the pound-for-pound king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. The long line of list includes Edwin Valero, Juan Manuel Marquez, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Sugar Shane Mosley.

Don’t forget Australian Michael “The Great” Katsidis who have travelled all the way to the Philippines to join the serenade and who has written a statement love-letter-like to lure Pacquiao into a match just several days ago.

This time add another top boxer from his division, the number 9 pound-for pound boxer and the undisputed super-flyweight champion, another Australian citizen, Armenian-born Vic Darchinyan..

In an interview he had with bleacherreport.com, Darchinyan who is moving up in weight to challenge IBF Champion Joseph Agbeko for the title said that he is a hundred percent sure that he will easily dispose his opponent come July 11.

With confidence, Darchinyan said that after demolishing Agbeko next month, the destruction he will cause will pave way for him to keep on moving up in weight to meet Pacquiao.

Darchinyan was quoted as saying, “I want people to remember me, not only at the time while I'm boxing, but after I retire, I want to be one of the best of all time.” He even added that he only wants to fight the best and that’s no other than Pacquaio.

Darchinyan’s call for a challenge against Manny Pacquiao is not much of a difference to Katsidis statement.

To put it nicely and not to be harsh, Darchinyan’s challenge is far from possible. First is that he has to fall in line, second is their weight difference is afar and third is that he has to pass and beat all those boxers who are in line for Pacquaio.

How can this possibly happen mate?

Funny thing is, Pacquaio has become a valuable gold news-item that if a boxer issues a challenge against him, he will surely be on the circulation of every boxing sites and different sports magazine for days or even weeks.

Some boxers may well be doing this just to gain more popularity in the boxing world.

For Darchinyan, instead of gunning for Pacquiao, why not challenge the Filipino Flash Nonito Donaire to whom he lost an embarrassing one-punch left hook knockout in July of 2007?

Why not avenge his only loss from Donaire first then decide on his future plans? Darchinyan may also consider another bout with, ironically another Filipino Z Gorres which resulted to a draw, in fact his only draw in his career.

He knocked world rated fighter Gorres during that fight but he himself was floored several times.