Mayweather retires Marquez: No stinking badges required

Retirement for a prizefighter is not like retirement for a schoolteacher or an insurance company desk jockey.

There’s no big cake with plenty of icing. There’s no gold watch. And, most of the time, there are no flowery speeches.

In the hardest sport, most retirements are forcible, not voluntary. In the hardest sport, a thorough asskicking, a veritable beatdown, is what often prods the game warrior into hanging up the gloves.

Sometimes it takes a series of such beatdowns to convince a fighter to pack it in.

I don’t envision Juan Manuel Marquez, a 36 year old and still fierce boxer with a 50-4-1 record and 399 pro rounds under his belt, taking a vicious beatdown Saturday night from unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, four years his junior.

What I do see is something that might be more painful, at least mentally, and that is frustration of purpose bordering on professional embarrassment.

(Hogan Photos/Golden Boy)

The Mexican Ringmaster was picked for two reasons for Mayweather’s first bout in 21 months. One, he is the same Golden Boy stable as Pretty Boy. Two, he is smaller, slower and appears to be an opponent against whom Mayweather can truly shine.

I see Mayweather, smart offensively and defensively, dominating in this fight on speed and size differences alone.

I see Mayweather showing so much polish and skill that it’s hailed as his finest hour.

I see Marquez looking a bit befuddled, not as clueless as Roberto Duran in New Orleans before he made the :no mas” surrender to Ray Leonard, but without anyway to slow Mayweather down.

Marquez is an old fox, indeed, but he will never catch the wily rabbit.

And what does Juan Ma do if PBF flips the script and dramatically turns the aggressor, how will he anser a now you see him, now you don’t target?

Marquez, a sharp and clever counterpuncher against those of similar stature, might look like one of those wind turbines, producing a fan effect for the first 40 rows at ringside inside the MGM Grand Garden.

Marquez gives off the aroma of an almost retired fighter. Nothing wrong with that, he’s earned a pile of money which increases greatly here and he can return to his well settled family life.

Muy contento, that’s what I think Marquez will be in giving his loser’s lament after he loses a wide—make it 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112 unanimous decision here.

It won’t be so much a lament as an adios from a Hall Of Fame fighter.

He can, he will leave boxing, having been willingly thrown in over his head for a nice price.

There will be no third Pacquiao-Marquez fight because the L12 to Mayweather will be the famous final scene for Juan Ma.

He will ride off into the Mexican sunset with his head held high.

He’ll be one of the few, one of the proud, who makes a voluntary exit from boxing at exactly the right time.

Show you some badges?

Juan Manuel Marquez won't need to show you any stinking badges.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-5699-NY-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m9d16-Dazzling-Mayweather-retires-Marquez-No-stinking-badges-required