“Boxing is the toughest and loneliest sport in the world.”
Those words were once uttered by Frank Bruno, and while many nowadays would claim otherwise, saying Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), or even…(gasp)…Pro Wrestling are tougher endeavors, as is evidenced by the comments posted on Dorothy Willis’ piece you can read at Bleacher Report, those words still ring true when watching many fights.
One of those fights took place on a Saturday night on September 19, 2009, where Juan Manuel Marquez had to have felt all alone in the world as he was pummeled in a tough matchup with one of the best fighters in the world today, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
It was an exciting fight in many ways, but Marquez was simply overpowered and outmatched. Floyd Mayweather dominated the fight from start to finish, winning by unanimous decision after 12 rounds.
Mayweather fought another Mexican, Oscar De La Hoya, in February of 2007, although that match was more hyped than the Mayweather/Marquez bout. In fact, the fanfare surrounding that fight was so great it amazed even some sportswriters covering the clash.
One such writer, James Slater, writing about the upcoming fight between them, wrote a piece that struck me then as oh so true, is even more poignant now, and really sums up the entire theme of my article.
The title of his piece was: “Sugar” Ray Robinson: Good Enough to Have Beaten Both De La Hoya and Mayweather on the Same Night?
Although I’ve never once seen the late Ray Robinson, or Sugar as he was known to his fans and many friends, fight in person (having only been blessed to watch YouTube videos of his fights), I’m confident Mr. Slater was, and is, absolutely correct.
Robinson would have manhandled Mayweather and De La Hoya easily, with nothing more than a fifteen minute break between the fights. Read the rest of this entry »
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