Marquez whets appetite for Pretty Boy-Pacman main dish

He’s a reigning WBA and WBO world champion at lightweight.

Previously, he’s held WBC hardware at 130 pounds and both WBA and IBF jewelry at 126 pounds.

But Juan Manuel Marquez became something else entirely on Saturday.

A tune-up fighter.

With the midday announcement of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s return from a brief retirement and the evening’s concussive crowning of Manny Pacquiao as the IBO’s junior welterweight champion, the 35-year-old Mexican – a pro since 1993 – instantly became an afterthought.

Oh sure, he’ll face Mayweather in the “Pretty Boy’s” comeback bout somewhere between 140 and 147 pounds, but he’ll enter that fight as the last inconvenient obstacle to the event the sport is suddenly salivating over – a pound-for-pound summit between Mayweather and Pacquiao.

And as I wrote here last week… I couldn’t be happier about it.

No offense to ol’ JMM. He’s obviously been a quality pro and I’m happy that he’ll finally be getting a chance to ring the cash register a few times by stepping in with Floyd. But anything short of a cut-free, injury-free win for Mayweather is the last thing anyone needs.

I know the first two matches with Pacquiao have been classics. I know some very credible people believe Marquez won at least one – if not both – of them. And I know that if they were to get together again, he would have a real chance at toppling the Filipino phenomenon.

But the only truth that matters is that no one else would care.

Outside of hardcore fans on this site and others like it, it takes something more than a simple boxing match with two quality principals to generate the interest needed to drive pay-per-view buzz from merely pedestrian to certifiably stratospheric.

Sorry folks, but Marquez doesn’t provide that against Pacquiao.

Love him or loathe him, Mayweather does.

Much like the New York Yankees in baseball, Notre Dame in football and Jeff Gordon in stock car racing, the charmingly villainous Mayweather provides an instant element of polarity that will separate one fan from another in a match against the sport’s newest superstar.

And while hardcores will tune in without prejudice to see the sublime elements of Mayweather’s defense and the “Pacman’s” multi-layered violence, the remaining masses may watch just to see the “Pretty Boy” – like the Yankees, the Fighting Irish and No. 24 car – get what’s coming to him.

To me, it’s in roles like these where Mayweather truly shines.

Aside from being the top fighter in the world upon his exit – having dispensed with reigning/recent champions Hatton, De La Hoya, Baldomir and Judah in his last four fights – Mayweather also shows a knack for crowd incitement that put.

Source: http://www.boxingscene.com/index.php?m=show&id=19760