In typical Floyd Mayweather style, the training leading up the the fight was documented on HBO in the 24/7 series which profiled both fighters (mostly Floyd), leading up to the much anticipated bout.  In the way in, as both boxers toe’d the scales, Marquez came in well below the 144 pound weight limit at 142, while Floyd came in at 146, which was two pounds overthe catch weight.  It seems as if Floyd probably could have made the 144 pound limit, but probably didn’t want to succumb to the same fate as Oscar de la Hoya when Oscar drained himself down to make weight for his fight with Manny Pacquiao.  Those two pounds didn’t go unnoticed as Floyd forfeited 600,000 dollars of his purse to Marquez.

Leading up to the fight, Marquez agreed to be weighed on the day of the fight, like most fighters normally do, but Floyd refused to be weighed (which is totally his choice).  But as the fighters entered the ring, Mayweather did noticeably look like the bigger fighter and it would prove true throughout the fight.

Mayweather was the bigger and faster boxer from round 1 to round 12.  Round one was a bit awkward as both boxers, who are excellent counter punchers, were feeling each other out for the majority of the round.  Floyd however, would start to work his jab as he would the whole night.  He would punch, then go back into his defensive stance where he would roll his shoulder in the patented Floyd Mayweather style to avoid the blows of Marquez.  At the end of the first round, Floyd landed more punches and also he landed in a higher percentage than Marquez.  This first round summary, would be the story of the whole fight.

The second round was more of the same, with the exception of Floyd landing a left hook catching Marquez square on the chin, dropping him to the canvas.  Marquez would get up with no problem.  But for the rest of the fight, it was just Floyd being the bigger and faster fighter lending Marquez no chance whatsoever.  Whenever Marquez would land a punch, which wasn’t often, Mayweather would smile or laugh as to show the punches were not hurting him.  Also on every Marquez blow that seemed to land, the crowd which was mainly pro-Marquez would cheer although the punches were mostly blocked by the well skilled Mayweather.

At the end of the fight, with Floyd being unsuccessful in knocking him out in either the 11th or 12th rounds, Floyd would win the fight going away with a unanimous decision.  120-107 (ever round + knockdown), 119-108, 118-109 all in Mayweather’s favor.  Mayweather improved his record to 40-0-0 while Marquez’s record went to 50-5-1.  CompuBox had Mayweather landing an astounding 59% of his punches meanwhile Marquez landing only 8%.  For lack of better words, Money Mayweather had his way with Marquez.  Ultimately the difference in weight and speed sealed the deal for Marquez.

The future endeavors for both interesting.  Marquez must now go to war with the Australian Michael Katsidis in a lightweight bout before he can continue his quest in the welterweight and junior welterweight divisions.  Floyd can fight whomever he chooses.  Pacquiao seems like a logical choice depending on how he fairs against Miguel Cotto, but Mayweather’s history with Bob Arum suggest that the fight will not get done.  Mayweather could also fight Shane Mosley, who has suffered a long lay off since the Margarito fight and Mosley at this point just wants to fight someone.  Floyd, when asked this question by Max Kellerman after the fight with Mosley standing right next to Max, dodged the question which suggests that Floyd would rather not fight Mosley either.  So that leaves Floyd’s options at possibly Cotto who is the next guy in the pecking order although it really wouldn’t make sense if Pacquiao defeated Cotto and Floyd picks on Pac’s scraps.  Then it will be apparent that Floyd is ducking the bigger names in the division.  Thats surprising since Floyd has never, ever ducked anyone before.  And of course the last option is retirement.  If Floyd chooses this route, it will be apparent that the reports were true and he only came back to make money rather than because he wanted to fight again.

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2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. - “Money” was just that in his destruction of top 3 p4p’er Juan Manuel Marquez. He took care of business and now has options against Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, or Pacquiao, which would be the biggest fight in the sport.

3. Juan Manuel Marquez - He took a risk against Mayweather and it didn’t pay off. Fotunately the man is a warrior and will likely continue his reign down at the lightweight division starting with a possible clash against rugged Aussie Michael Katsidis.

4. Shane Mosley - The man just can’t seem to land a big fight lately, and going after Mayweather during his moment isn’t going to help that cause. If he can’t land Mayweather, he may be looking at a virtual no man’s land and might have to settle for a less lucrative fight with fellow welter Andre Berto.

5. Paul Williams - The 6’1″ southpaw will finally get to fight Kelly Pavlik on December 5th for the Middleweight title in what should be a very interesting show. A victory here would skyrocket his name into the boxing world and he would be globally recognized as one of the best in the sport.

6. Bernard Hopkins - He hasn’t fought since October of last year, but you have to keep him here for a little longer. He’s denied Tomasz Adamek and has no interest in a Chad Dawson fight so he will continue to slide until he picks a fight.

7. Miguel Cotto - Aiming to add another huge name to an already stellar resume on Nov. 14. We’re hoping he doesn’t revisit the ghosts of Margarito as he prepares for his showdown with Pacquiao.

8. Chad Dawson - Coming off another drubbing of Antonio Tarver, Dawson is in another rematch on Nov. 7, this time against Glen Johnson. Many though Johnson deserved the nod in their first fight, so Dawson is looking to prove his critics wrong as he looks to keep an unblemished record.

9. Ivan Calderon – One of the best technical boxers of this era, just doesn’t get enough credit for it. Beat Filipino Rodel Mayol in their rematch after a clash of heads stopped the fight once again. Now he and Brian Viloria are calling eachother out, which could be fireworks if they make it into the ring.

10. Israel Vazquez - Took a much needed 18 month rest after the Rafael Marquez trilogy to heal. Gets back into the ring on Oct. 10 in what should be an easy tune-up. The future could hold fights with Celestino Caballero, JuanMa Lopez, or *gasp* a fourth fight with Marquez.

The rest:

11. Rafael Marquez

12. Celestino Caballero

13. Juan Manuel Lopez

14. Vic Darchinyan

15. Nonito Donaire

Notables: Hozumi Hasegawa, Kelly Pavlik, Chris John, Wladimir Klitschko, Tomasz Adamek, Timothy Bradley, Mikkel Kessler, Joshua Clottey

paz

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1.  Roger Federer- Simply the best at what he does.  A loss to Delpo in a 5-setter doesn’t take away all he has done this year.
2. Rafael Nadal - Crafty and scrappy, and gives his opponents fits with his athleticism.  Now proving that he is not just a clay court specialist.
3. Juan Martin del Potro- Winner of the US Open and is only 20 years old.  Has been getting better and better and from last year to this year has gotten stronger and fitter and it has shown as he took out Federer and Nadal in the same tournament.
4. Andy Murray – Come on Andy, just win one already.  Probably the most talented person on the tour who does not have a major.  Does well in the tune ups, but his game just needs to translate.  2010 may be the year where he gets one.
5. Novak Djokovic - Not the best 2009 for his standards, but he still put in great performances and solidified himself as a top 5 player on the tour.
6. Andy Roddick- Hard serving American had a 2009 with mixed success.  He performed well in the Australian Open and at Wimbledon lost to Roger Federer in a marathon match where he was only broken once.  But he also got dethroned at the US by fellow American John Isner.  I like the way Andy came out this year and I’m expecting another strong year where hopefully he could add another major, but his time is dwindling especially with new up and coming player such as del Potro.
7. Fernando Verdasco – The Spaniard is putting it all together and is starting to record wins over top competition.  Had his best year to date in major finishes including a semifinals appearance at Melbourne Park
8. Fernando Gonzalez – The Chilean has a serious forehand and on any given day, can give a top player a run for their money.  His slicing serve short into the deuce court gives opponents fits. 
9. Robin Soderling- Who knows how he would have done this year if he didn’t square off with Roger Federer in virtually every slam.  He beat an ailing Nadal on clay to only lose to Roger in Paris.
10. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – The young Frenchman who first made himself known to the tennis world as a surprise finalist in Melbourne in 2008 had a solid 2009 including wins in a few tournaments and strong showings in the majors.  He is a player who can pull off an unsuspecting win out of thin air against the best of the best and his powerful serve and volley style is a hybrid of old school game mixed with new school flair.

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She will compete in a couple tune up tournaments including Charleroi, Belgium and Dubai and then she is slated to make her Grand Slam return down under at the Australian Open.  After her early retirement, she had sworn off coming back, but she admitted now that “The fire burns within”.  This is great news for women’s tennis as apart from Serena and Venus Williams, the WTA has been quite lackluster.

The former number one will not be ranked for the upcoming Australian Open, but still, look for Henin to advance pretty far, that is depending on her draw.  Right now, Justine is probably a top 10 player right now even though she has taken a year and a half off.  Before her retirement, the diminutive Henin had increase the speed on her serve to go along with her already deadly placement on her groundstrokes making her a credible #1.  Safina, who is the number 1 right now, has all the tools to win a major, but just lacks the mental make up to go over the hump.

At this time next year, look for Henin to make that assault on the rankings like Clijsters has done.  Now in women’s tennis with Henin and Clijsters added into the mix of Venus and Serena Williams, this should make women’s tennis more interesting for the next calender year and definitely more exciting.

source: tennis.com

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The fight consisted on Katsidis coming forward relentlessly and landing combinations on Escobedo to the body and face.  Escobedo was constantly moving and using his jab to try and create distance from the hard charging Katsidis.  Although it seemed as if Escobedo was taking a beating at some points in this fight, he fought on bravely.  He was asked by his trainer at one point in the later rounds if he wanted to stop the fight.  Both fighters received battle scars for their efforts as Katsidis was cut early in the fight and that wound needed treatment from his corner throughout the fight.  Escobedo was also cut above his eye towards the end of the fight.  It had seemed as well that Katsidis had suffered a broken jaw as the right side of his face was extremely swollen.

At the end of the 12th round, the cards were read 118-110, 116-112, 112-116 in favor of Katsidis for a split decision.  Katsidis definitely showed ring generalship and a potent offensive game as he dictated action round after round.  This fight could have easily been a unanimous decision for Katsidis, although Escobedo believed that he had done enough to earn the victory from Katsidis.  Katsidis improved his record to 26-2-0 and Escobedo’s record fell to 21-2-0. 

Katsidis, know the holder of the WBO lightweight belt now has to defend that against Juan Manuel Marquez following Marquez’s loss against Floyd Mayweather.  Even though Marquez was manhandled by Money Mayweather, Marquez should be back in his element in a lightweight fight and should be able to find his groove against a much smaller fighter.  Katsidis isn’t as fast as Mayweather, and his style is possibly the total opposite, as Katsidis is a total offensive fighter.  That style will be his downfall as Marquez will show that he is a supreme counter puncher.  A Marquez-Katsidis fight would be a great rebound fight and confidence booster for Marquez.

source: boxrec.com

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The first bout between John and Juarez took place in Texas and the decision was a controversial draw.  It can be argued that Juarez came on late in that fight to earn that draw, but it is widely regarded in boxing circle as another questionable decision in favor of a hometown fighter.

In the fight on Saturday, the action started out with John dominating Juarez and outpunching him.  In total, John’s punches did not do particularly too much to effect Juarez, but John was no doubt scoring with jabs at a much higher rate than Juarez.  The later rounds were much of the same in a pretty plain and dull fight.  Juarez managed to land a few power shots per round, even managing to cut John above his left eye later on in the fight.  But round after round, John consistently out-skilled, out-smarted and methodically outboxed Juarez.  Juarez’s opening came in the last round where with about a minute to go with John’s eye beginning to swell heavily, Juarez was able to land a clean left hook, buckling John’s knees.  John was barely able to hold on for the remaining 30 seconds as Juarez teed off on the disoriented John.

The fight was scored 114-113, 119-109, 117-111 all in the favor of John.  The 114-113 scorecard seemed to give Juarez a bit too much credit as for the majority of the rounds, John clearly outboxed Juarez.  Chris ”the Dragon” John improved his record to 43-0-2 and cemented his place as the #1 fighter in the featherweight division.  Rocky Juarez’s record stands at 28-5-1 with his loses coming against John, Marquez, Barrera (2), and Soto.  There has been talk of Chris John moving up weight classes a la Marquez or Pacquiao, but with John’s inability to score the knockout and his lack of punching power virtually relegates him to the featherweight condition where he has yet to be defeated.

source: boxrec.com

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Arsenal 4, Wigan Athletic 0 - Vermaelen strikes twice as the central defender does his part in the dismantling of Wigan.  Arsenal – Thomas Vermaelen (2), Emmanuel Eboue, Cesc Fabregas.

Bolton 1, Stoke City 1 - Stoke and Bolton battle to a 1-1 draw in an evenly matched game thanks to a Matthew Taylor PK in the 89th.  Bolton – Matthew Taylor.  Stoke - Dave Kitson.

Hull City 0, Birmingham City 1 - Garry O’Connor secures all three points for Birmingham City at the KC stadium.  B’ham – Garry O’Connor

Aston Villa 2, Portsmouth 0 - American keeper Brad Friedel looks stellar as Villa blanks the premier league’s worst team.  Aston Villa – James Milner, Gabriel Agbonlahor.

West Ham 2, Liverpool 3 - West Ham puts up a valiant effort but Fernando Torres’s double seals the victory for Liverpool.

Manchester United 4, Manchester City 3 - Goals galore as this classic Manchester derby ends with a winner in stoppage time from Michael Owen.  Man U – Wayne Rooney, Darren Fletcher (2), Michael Owen.  Man City – Gareth Barry, Craig Bellamy (2).

Wolverhampton 2, Fulham 1 - Wolves get all three points at home as the Cottagers come out flat.  Wolves – Kevin Doyle, David Edwards.  Fulham – Danny Murphy.

Everton 3, Blackburn 0 – Saha’s brace and Howard in goal powers the Toffees past Blackburn.  Everton – Saha (2), Joseph Yobo.

Chelsea 3, Tottenham 0 - Chelsea impressive as Tottenham are just simply unable to capitalize on any chances.  Chelsea – Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba.

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Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions- The lions have some good skill players but at the end of the day, but come one, it’s the Lions.  Their defense is still paper-thin and Adrian Peterson will roll over his week 1 performance into week 2.  The Lions will get on the board with Calvin Johnson, but don’t expect much more, because Kevin Smith wont fare too well facing the formidable Minnesota front 4.
Minnesota -10

Cincinnati Bengals @ Green Bay Packers - The Bengals had a very poor showing last week against the Denver Broncos and the Packers D stifled Jay Cutler’s Bears on Saturday night.  Look for Cincinnati to get its passing game going a little more, but their poor run of form should still continue and they will still be winless after week 2.
Green Bay -9

Houston Texans @ Tennessee Titans- The Texans looked absolutely horrible last week against the Jets.  Their offensive line looked like swiss cheese and Matt Schaub was looking like David Carr.  Steve Slaton was not the Steve Slaton of last year.  But that is all to change.  The Titans looked less than inspiring against the Steelers and I am just not too sold on Kerry Collins.  The Titans must get their ground game going early and often and the should have decent success doing so.  I say the Texans offensive line handles the Titans pass rush a little better and gives Schaub more time to throw.  This should allow Andre Johnson to expose Cortland Finnegan for the average cornerback that he is.  Also look for a rebound game from Steve Slaton.  The Texans may not win this game, but 7 points is big enough cushion.
Houston +7

Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs- The Raiders and the Chiefs.  Two bad teams from 2008 which will turn out to be a horrible game.  Well, not necessarily.  The Raiders looked really sharp against a consensus Division winner in San Diego only to lose the game late.  Look for the Raiders to continue some of that magic with a little Fire and Ice, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.  Oakland’s defense, which is much improved with the addition of Richard Seymour, should shut down Larry Johnson and force Kansas City to beat the Raiders through the air.  They simply cannot do that especially with Nnamdi Asomugha locking down the Chiefs prime target.  Look for Oakland to win this one outright.
Oakland +3

New England Patriots @ New York Jets- The Jets have done a lot of talking throughout the week, players and head coach alike and Brady and company are probably not too fond of that talk.  The Pats though look extremely vulnerable after they barely escaped with a win against the Bills by the skin of their teeth.  In the end though, Brady is Brady and Sanchez is still only a rookie.  But what makes me confident with this matchup is the fact that the new style of Jets defense blitz and hit the quarterback like nobody’s business.  With Revis shutting down Brady’s number one option look for Brady to go elsewhere, mainly Wes Welker.  And if the Pats want to win this game, they need to find a way to successfully somewhat run the ball, something which the Jets should do and therefore control the flow of this game, that’s why I feel that this game will be more of a toss up which could go either way.  But ultimately it will mainly go the Jets way if Mark Sanchez doesn’t play like a rookie.
Jets +4

New Orleans Saints @ Philadelphia Eagles- The Eagles are starting Kevin Kolb this week over the ailing Donovan McNabb.  The understudy shouldn’t have a tough time against the New Orleans defense, but what he will have a tough time with is the Saints offense as Kolb will have to keep going out there and getting results on his drives.  Brees is in a groove and the Saints have too many weapons.  Colston, Moore, Meachem, Henderson, Bush, Thomas, Bell, and even SHOCKEY!  The Eagles defense is good, but there is just too much firepower from the Saints, even on the road.
New Orleans -2

St. Louis Rams @ Washington Redskins- Remember last year when the Rams beat the Skins?  Well it ain’t going to happen again.  Because the Rams are horrible with a capital H.  The Rams may be a worse team than the Lions.  The hopes of St. Louis will rest on Steven Jackson and the improved Redskins defense with the addition of Haynesworth should be up to the task.  Look for Jason Campbell to find his groove with Santana Moss and look for Clinton Portis to get in on the act as well.  Easy win for the Redskins by two TDs or more.
Washington -10

Arizona Cardinals @ Jacksonville Jaguars- This game is on a lot of people’s radars as an upset alert after the Cardinals’ dismal performance against the 49ers.  It was true the pass heavy Arizona offense was out of sync, but I think it was more to do with Mike Singletary’s Niner’s defense more than Arizona’s ineptitude.  Look for Arizona to find their groove again with Fitz especially as he should be good for 2 TDs.  The Jags should depend on Maurice Jones Drew heavily and ride him to victory.  But in the end, the Cards should show why they made the Superbowl last year and the Jags should show why they had a Top 10 draft pick.
Cardinals +3

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Buffalo Bills- The Bucs travel to Buffalo to face the Bills who had that monumental collapse against the Patriots on Monday night.  The Bills had found someone that makes their offense go, and thats Fred Jackson.  Fred Jackson is shifty, has sure hands, and is a complete running back.  Although the Bucs’s top receiver is out, the Bucs will ride the Cadillac and this should be a hard fought game throughout.  Look for this to be a game settled by a field goal and the Bills will come out on top.  That however, is not good enough to beat the spread.
Tampa Bay +4.5

Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers- The Seattle Seahawks looked perfect last week winning 28-0 against the St. Louis Rams.  Don’t expect the Niners to roll over.  The Niners are a totally different animal under the new head coach Mike Singletary.  Julius Jones will not dominate like he did last week and the Niners will ride Frank Gore to victory.
San Francisco -1

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Chicago Bears- The Bears were thought of as a playoff team but looked all 6′s and 7′s against the Green Bay defense.  The Steelers defense is just a tad better than the Green Bay defense.  Well actually, they are the best in the league.  This does not bode well for Jay Cutler who seems a little frustrated.  Handing the ball off to Matt Forte isn’t going to help here either as the Steelers stymie the run.  Look for the Steelers to get their trademarked running game going again and look for a 17-10 score for Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh -3

Cleveland Browns @ Denver Broncos- Browns-Broncos.  These two teams has struggling offenses and it will ultimately come down to the Cleveland defense.  The Broncos barely beat the Bengals last week and I don’t see another Hail Mary being answered this weekend.  Mangini should be smart and control this game with Jamal Lewis.  The Browns take this one on the road just barely.
Cleveland +3

Baltimore Ravens @ San Diego Chargers- The Ravens are traveling to the west coast and should continue to roll.  They are not only an exclusive running team as Joe Flacco has matured into a very reliable quarterback.  Look for the Ravens to pound the ball with McGahee, Rice, and McClain and look for the occasional deep ball from Flacco.  If the Charger defense couldn’t even stop the Raiders, how do they expect to beat the Ravens without Jamal Williams?  Also with Tomlinson out for today, this does not bode well for the Chargers.
Baltimore +3

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys- This is a big day for Jerry Jones as he opens his massive stadium today against the Giants.  The Giants have a few key injuries on defense which the Cowboys and Tony Romo should exploit.  Also look for Demarcus Ware to make Eli Manning’s day a living nightmare.  The lack of a number one receiver for the Giants will hurt them as Eli wont have a go to guy when he gets into trouble.
Dallas -3

Indianapolis Colts @ Miami Dolphins- Miami looked abysmal last week against the Falcons and now they are ushering in Peyton Manning and the Colts.  Even without Anthony Gonzalez, the Colts will control the game with Addai and Reggie Wayne will get his 100+ receiving yards and a TD as Miami’s woes continue as last years season starts to look more and more like a fluke than the real deal.
Indianapolis -3.5

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