INQUIRER Sports

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. may be a little too spicy for your taste but he definitely heats up the boxing scene with his return.

His fight on Sept. 19 (Sunday in Manila) with Juan Manuel Marquez has not yet taken place but Mayweather is already providing good copy by lobbing shots at Manny Pacquiao. The fight game dubs this ?calling out? and it?s obvious that the Pretty Boy is aiming for a megabuck fight once the business with Marquez is over.

Not too fast though.

Despite being 36 and four years older than Mayweather, Marquez remains as one of the best technicians in the game. He patiently waits for his shots and opportunities to counter. Against Mayweather, he is looking not only for a win but also for respect and another shot at Pacquiao. There is every reason for the fighter known as ?Dinamita? to explode in the fight dubbed as the clash of the Number Ones.

Mayweather may have to be careful when Marquez throws the combinations that rocked Pacquiao in their two previous fights, the first of which ending in a draw and the second one going to Pacquiao by a slight margin. Mayweather will use his slippery moves and defense to avoid or parry any attempt by Marquez but that will not last for long. Marquez will find a way to bore into and grind the fight out in the trenches.

Mayweather is also not all talk. He is a different individual once he?s inside the ring and his fight instincts take over. Smart and energy efficient, Mayweather knows what he?s doing.

In the fight against Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather unleashed just enough pizzazz to stop the Golden Boy. Against Ricky Hatton, he knew he had to turn up the heat because the Brit was going to knock him out if he didn?t do the job quickly.

That?s why we will watch on Sunday. There is no Pacquiao to root for or a Hatton or De La Hoya to worry about because Pacman has taken care of all of them. We will look at the fight with the future in mind. A win by Marquez or Mayweather coupled with a victory by Pacquiao against Miguel Cotto will set the ring up for a huge fight fan?s delight.

And yet again, not so fast; Cotto is a tough customer and the respect being shown by the Pacquiao camp in all its pronouncements is well placed. Cotto is no mere stepping stone for the next big one against Mayweather or Marquez. The Puerto Rican projects the image of a proud and courageous warrior who respects Pacquiao but has no reason to fear him.

So the talks will shift gears after Mayweather and Marquez are done on Sunday. Expect more after Nov. 14 when Pacquiao and Cotto part ways. Each fight for a boxer leads to the next bigger fight or to the one to the end of the journey.