Juan Manuel Marquez is all in for Mexico

For his next fight, Juan Manuel Marquez might want to take a page out of his nemesis Manny Pacquiao's career and win one for his nation.

Juan Manuel Marquez is Mexico's final link remaining from the country's glory days of dominating boxing's lower weight classes. And on July 18, he is putting everything on the line as he goes for all the marbles against the former Pound for Pound king Floyd "Money May" Mayweather Jr.

There are indeed good Mexican boxers still left out there like Arce and Vasquez but they are also on the way out and the lower weight classes have now been invaded by an influx of talent from all across the globe with names like Juan Manuel Lopez, Nonito Donaire, Ivan Calderon and Vic Darchinyan. What used to be Mexico's turf is now left for the few like Marquez to defend and make their last stand.

Most people have actually written Marquez off against Mayweather. Oddsmakers have placed him as a heavy underdog and even some Mexicans fans I have spoken are skeptical about his chances but are definitely pulling for him. Realistically Marquez shouldn't even be in the ring with Mayweather Jr. He is too small for Floyd. But since Floyd decided, for whatever reason other than money of course, to fight Marquez instead of Mosley, Paul Williams or Miguel Cotto, all we can do is sit back and enjoy the show. I don't know if this is anything more than a money fight for the same reasons people were calling last year's mega-fight between Oscar De la Hoya and Manny Pacquiao a circus show. It's simple enough. Pacquiao knocked Marquez down four times and beat him in their last bout and Mayweather defeated De la Hoya in theirs. Put two and two together and you are asking the winner of a big man's fight face the loser of a small man's fight when people already thought the winner of that small man's fight was way over his head fighting the loser of the same big man's fight. Makes sense? Although sense is something that escapes boxing when it comes to these big fights. And with that said, anything can still happen.

Juan Manuel Marquez does have a chance against Floyd Mayweather Jr. I wouldn't be shocked if he even pulls an upset over the bigger guy and self-proclaimed best boxer of this era. He will be however in the biggest test of his life. Yes, bigger than his battles with Manny Pacquiao because for once Marquez may be facing a better counter puncher and boxer than he is. On top of that he is giving away size and strength in the process as the bout will be at Mayweather's more comfortable weight at 147 pounds. Marquez has never fought higher than 135 and isn't by any means big for that weight as it is. He will have to rely on his craftiness and try to outwit and out box Mayweather somehow. How is he going to do it? That's pretty much why Mexican boxing fans will shelf out $49.99 to see this fight- to see how one of the best ring tacticians of this era coupled by his master trainer Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain will try and find a formula to beat the undefeated Mayweather Jr.

Will the intrigue be enough to get the casual boxing fan to watch Mayweather and Marquez fight on July 18? Or will history bite both fighters in the butt for having the reputation of less than exciting fights in the past. I know Marquez have picked up his aggression as of late but against Mayweather's style, I don't know how much aggression Marquez can really apply forMayweather to engage him.

Can Marquez help Mexico relive and bring back it's glory years in boxing? Or is this simply that one big paycheck he has long been waiting for? This fight may have big implications in the world of big time prize fighting but none of it compares to how important this is for the man they call "Dinamita". Can he do it for his country the way Pacquiao, the man he despises and would like to fight most, does it for his? We'll see.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-10947-Indianapolis-Fight-Sports-Examiner~y2009m5d22-Juan-Manuel-Marquez-is-all-in-for-Mexico