ON THE EVE OF HIS RETURN, MAYWEATHER DOMINATES
When it comes to ring generalship, Floyd Mayweather gave a five-star performance Saturday night worthy of a salute.
September 19, 2009 - by Chuck Johnson | Photos by Will Hart
Showing little rust but plenty of polish in his comeback after 21 months away from competition, Mayweather put in motion an arsenal of speed, power and elusiveness to win a unanimous 12-round decision against Juan Manuel Marquez.
The outcome was no surprise to many the crowd at the MGM Grand, where Marquez was hoping to treat his fans to a Mexican Independence Day memorable upset.
Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) had never fought at a higher weight than 135 pounds and was a huge underdog after jumping up two weight classes to the welterweight division, hoping to deal Mayweather his first defeat.
Marquez's odds became even longer after an initially-negotiated catch weight of 144 pounds was re-worked just prior to weigh-in, with Mayweather agreeing to pay him a sizable cash penalty for weighing 146 compared to Marquez, who was officially four pounds lighter.
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| FIGHTERS |
Floyd Mayweather |
Juan Manuel Marquez |
| TOTAL PUNCHES |
| Thrown |
493 |
583 |
| Connected |
290 |
69 |
| % |
59%% |
12%% |
| JABS |
| Thrown |
316 |
288 |
| Connected |
185 |
21 |
| % |
59%% |
7%% |
| POWER PUNCHES |
| Thrown |
177 |
295 |
| Connected |
105 |
48 |
| % |
59%% |
16%% |
| JUDGES SCORECARDS |
|
|
|
"I don't have excuses, but the weight difference was just too much," said Marquez, who was dropped in the second round by Mayweather's check left hook. "It was a hard fight. He hurt me in that round but not any other time. After the second round, I didn't feel his punches."
Marquez, showing his warrior mentality, refused to give up and was confident Mayweather didn't escape unscathed.
"He smiled when I hit him, but I know he felt my punches,'' Marquez said.
Mayweather, who stayed unbeaten with his 40th victory, including 25 knockouts, said it took him a warmup period, but he was happy with his comeback performance.
"I've been off for almost two years, so it tok me a few rounds to feel it out,'' he said. "But it felt good to be back in there. I know I can get better."
Mayweather was plenty good enough according to the judges who scored the fight 118-109, 120-107, 119-108 in his favor.
Although Mayweather dominated the fight, he gave credit to Marquez's toughness.
"That guys was tough as nails.''he said. "When I droped him with that shot, he got up and kept coming and fighting. I had to fight smart."
Mayweather's post-fight interview turned angry when Shane Mosley, a hopeful opponent, challenged him. Mosley is one of the top welterweights Mayweather has been accused of avoiding.
"He's obviously desperate," Mayweather said. " For him to come and steal my moment, he has to be desperate. This was my comeback fight and he chose to disrespect me."
In the co-featured fight, Chris John (43-0-2, 22 KOs) survived a furious 12th round knockout attempt by Rocky Juarez (28-5-1, 20 KOs) to retain the WBA featherweight title on a unanimous decision. After the pair fought to a fighting to a draw in February, John, from Indonesia, dominated most of the rematch until the final round. Juarez, from Houston, landed a left hook and right uppercut that had John in trouble as the bell sounded.
In a battle for an interim lightweight belt, Michael Katsidis (26-2, 21 KOs), a noted brawler from Toowomba, Australia, won a 12-round split decision against 2004 U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo (21-2, 13 KOs).
Detroit's Corneilius Lock (19-4-1, 12 KOs) opened the televised portion of show with a knockout at 2:08 of the fifth round against previously unbeaten Orlando Cruz (16-1-1, 7 KOs), of San Juan, P.R., in a scheduled 10-round featherweight bout.
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