Whenever a big fight is around the corner, the boxing rumor mill is always churning. That’s the case here once again, and there have been a number of interesting, buzz-worthy pieces of news over the past few days. It’s all centered on the welterweight division, where superstar Manny Pacquiao faces rival Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday.
Marquez Cutting More Weight than Pacquiao?
The Pacquiao vs. Marquez 3 fight is being contested at a catchweight of 144 lbs. Marquez has only had one marquee fight above lightweight in his career, while Pacquiao has been competed at junior welterweight and above for several years. Therefore, most boxing fans clearly believe that Pacquiao has the size advantage going into the fight.
However, and as has been showcased and discussed on the Pacquiao Marquez 24/7 series, Marquez has packed on a lot of muscle mass. At yesterday’s press conference, Pacquiao came in a snazzy suit, while Marquez was in a workout sweat suit. That could be implying that he’s having more issues cutting weight than was expected, while Pacquiao is right on target. This would be quite the change from what was expected, and it could carry important implications for how the fight ends up going.
Freddie Roach also commented at yesterday’s presser about how big and strong Marquez looked. It will be interesting to see if Marquez actually comes to the ring with a strength advantage, or if he is drained at all from putting on muscle and then cutting weight at the last moment. More on this to come of course in the next two days.
Khan Wants Money
Amir Khan wants money, as in, Money Mayweather (although, of course, the huge cash payday that comes with that fight would be nice too). Khan has had his targets set on Floyd Mayweather, as opposed to boxing’s other superstar, Pacquiao.
A Mayweather-Khan fight would be easier to put together than a Pacquiao-Khan fight, since both men work with Golden Boy. Plus, it could even set up a semifinals of sorts between Mayweather-Khan and Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley.
Berto Drops Belt, Ortiz-Berto II Next
Andre Berto has dropped his IBF welterweight title belt, which he just won several months ago. He’s doing so to avoid a mandatory match against Randall Bailey. Both of those men are promoted by Lou DiBella, who was hoping to put the fight together.
However, HBO wasn’t too keen on spending a pile of cash for that fight. So, Berto is ditching the belt and is instead looking for revenge against Victor Ortiz. A potential Ortiz vs. Berto II clash could happen at the end of January, the week before the Super Bowl, which is an annual big-fight night.
Of course, Berto dropping the belt and freeing himself of any mandatories also leaves his schedule open should somebody like Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao come calling looking for an opponent for a spring fight.
Just a few of the biggest and juiciest stories of the past few days, and the rumor mill will keep on churning following the Pacquiao-Marquez fight this weekend.
