Floyd Mayweather retired in 2007, when he was considered by most to be the owner of the whimsical “Pound 4 Pound” title. He was the king of boxing, winning all of his 39 bouts, 25 by knockout. Mayweather holds wins over the likes of Diego Corrales, Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah, Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton all in impressive fashion.

During Mayweather's reign as Pound 4 Pound king there were always those who claimed that maybe Manny Pacquiao deserved to be called the world's best. Pacquiao's arm was raised in victory over Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Juan Manuel Marquez, three fighters who are almost equal to Floyd Mayweather's biggest conquests in the ring.

Floyd Mayweather’s last fight came against then unbeaten Ricky Hatton in a tenth round stoppage, and Mayweather retired from the sport shortly after that fight. With Floyd Jr. out of the picture, Manny Pacquiao officially became boxing's Pound 4 Pound champion. Once he was crowned the best, Manny planned on keeping it that way. He got in the ring with former Mayweather foes Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton, and what Mayweather couldn’t do in the ring Pacquiao did, when he forced  Oscar de la Hoya to quit in the 8^th round and when he knocked Ricky Hatton out in the ^2nd round. Manny Pacquiao seemed to get better with each fight and the fans outcry questioning who would win between Pacquiao and Mayweather kept getting louder and louder.

Most boxers' retirements are short-lived, they either miss the glory, the adulation bestowed upon them or they miss the money; most likely it’s a combination of both. Floyd Mayweather Jr., like so many other fighters before him, has come out of retirement to fight again.

I’m not sure why Mayweather has come back; and while it could be for the glory or maybe even the money, my best guess is he came back because the boxing world is now calling Manny Pacquiao the best fighter in the world.

Mayweather retired in his prime and still feels he is the best in the world. His first fight back will be against Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19^th of this year. Mayweather will be the favorite to win the bout but this is boxing and -as we all know- anything can happen. It’s been nearly two years since his last fight, and in boxing two years can seem like a lifetime. Ring rust can always be a factor and let's not ignore the fact that Juan Manuel Marquez is a world class fighter. With that being said,  and barring an unexpected circumstance, I do believe Mayweather will beat Marquez, and if that's the case the only logical fight for him is against Manny Pacquiao.

However, before that can happen Manny Pacquiao has his own hurdle to cross -and a big hurdle it is- in Miguel Cotto, who has only one blemish on his ring record. That loss should have an asterisk next to it, considering he took what should be considered an illegal beating from “Hands Of Cast” Antonio Margarito.

Cotto will come into the ring the naturally bigger man, but that type of situation hasn’t seemed to give Pacquiao any problems as of late. If both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. can get past their upcoming opponents, then it’s a must that they fight each other. However, I don’t think their upcoming fights will be the biggest obstacle in getting the fight made. I believe the biggest problem will be who gets the bigger cut of money.

It always comes down to the money; in the end money has knocked out more fights then we care to count. Mayweather has gone on record claming he doesn’t need Pacquiao, Pacquiao needs him, adding he’s the bigger draw. I have to disagree with both comments made. Pacquiao has made a big name for himself without the help of Mayweather and if they were to fight, I’m willing to bet there will be more Pacquiao fans in the house than Mayweather fans. As for the fight itself, if it does happen and as of right now that’s a big IF, I can see it playing out in so many different ways. The battle between trainers Roger Mayweather and Freddie Roach makes for a great sub plot in itself. With so many factors still in the way, this is a fight that needs to happen; not to save boxing but to treat the boxing fans who love the sport so much.

For Fight Recaps between January and May 2009, click here...  Fight Recaps Part I (January-May 2009)