Many sources close to the situation are reporting that the rumored comeback of former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, Jr., is closer than ever, with only a couple pounds of weight being an issue.
Mayweather (39-0, 25 KO) would return on July 18 on HBO pay-per-view against current lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KO) at a catchweight somewhere between junior welterweight (where Marquez wants it) and welterweight (where Mayweather wants it).
Marquez told BoxingScene.com he was willing to go up to 143 or 144 pounds. 142 has also been mentioned. It's been said that Mayweather might be willing to come down to 145. It would seem to me that this fight will happen. HBO already has the date reserved, they've no doubt got at least a preliminary set-up for a location in Vegas, and neither of these guys have anoyne else on their minds for the time being.
It's such a weird fight, really. I know some of you really hate the fight, and I don't love it, but I'm genuinely interested. It's a no-brainer buy for me. You only get so many Floyds and so many Marquezes. Both are great fighters, and Marquez is showing a remarkable willingness to fight upward and onward by calling out Mayweather and then actually going through with negotiations for a fight. Floyd's bigger than him (5'8" with a 72" reach to Marquez's 5'7"/67"), faster than him, more accurate than him, and frankly, just better than him. Marquez is the diehard fan's choice, though, natural talent be damned. And who knows what the layoff has done to Floyd's reflexes? Who knows if Marquez can go any higher than 135 and retain credible power?
There'll be more to come out of this. For now, it's still in its infancy stages.