Floyd returns but Pacquiao fight is all that matters -- ESPN

By Steve Bunce, ESPN.co.uk

I suppose it's good that Floyd Mayweather Jr is back but I still wonder how many years he's going to hold us to ransom. Is he going to come back every 14 months, every 18 months, every two years? Is he ever going to come back and fight Manny Pacquiao? At what point do we say, 'so what Floyd?'.

Victor Ortiz, who will put his WBC welterweight title on the line when the pair clash in September, is a perfectly good fighter but he's never going to sell out a big venue in America, he's never going to create a massive buzz. Thankfully with this fight a) he gets a big pay day and b) his profile goes through the roof. It's fantastic for Ortiz, is it good for Floyd? I don't know. Is it good for boxing? I'm not sure.

Boxing doesn't need Floyd v Ortiz, it needed Floyd against Pacquiao 18 months ago. If this Ortiz fight leads to a formal announcement of a Pacquiao match-up in April then fantastic. But if this leads once again to Floyd leaving into the Las Vegas night, assuming the clash takes place there, then we're going to have another 18 months of speculation - he said, she said, I said, we said. I'm sick and tired of will he, won't he; will they, won't they.

Pacquiao's always going to be a possibility for Floyd because we know the type of money that people are talking about - we've gone from $8 or $9 million each to $35 million each. Let's just hope by the middle of November a deal has been signed for next April because if it's not then surely we've got to pull the curtains down on it.

Against Ortiz, I'm expecting an aggressive Floyd to make a statement. We saw a cautious, careful Floyd when he fought veterans Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley but I think we might see him push for a KO. At some point Mayweather, who is 10 years older than Ortiz, is going to slow down and his speed will diminish. At some stage his timing is going to suffer and Ortiz is the type of guy who could cause a slightly slower Floyd some problems. However, there are still some questions marks about Ortiz's mental toughness after he quit in a fight with Marcos Maidana in 2009 when he complained that the punches were hurting him - Monty Pythonesque, I know, and we shouldn't forget it.

If they have a tear-up I know which chin I fancy, and it's not Ortiz's. A shocking win could in theory push Pacquiao into a fight. It seems the two need to embarrass the other in order for terms to be agreed. A big victory here could do the trick.

Twelfth Round

At 34, Ryan Rhodes is hoping it's third time lucky. The Sheffield-born fighter takes his third tilt at a world title by facing off against Saul Alvarez for his WBC light-middleweight crown on Saturday in Mexico - 14 years after his first attempt.

It looks a tall order - Ryan's going to 6000ft of altitude in Guadalajara, he's fighting a guy who is 14 years younger, he's fighting a guy who's unbeaten in 37 fights (26 KO's), he's fighting a guy who is a Mexican idol and as Ryan said himself, 'I must be mad'. If you look at the basic facts he must be. However, I don't think Alvarez's as strong and as unbeatable as some people are trying to paint him.

Oscar de la Hoya, his promoter, is desperate to tell everybody that Alvarez is going to be the greatest Mexican fighter of all time. In his last fight he won the title in a 12-round points decision against Matthew Hatton, who is a welterweight. No disrespect to Hatton but the so-called best Mexican fighter ever would not take 12 rounds to beat him, especially when Hatton's fighting above his usual weight. Ryan's got the power, he's got the strength.


Enlarge That said, I am worried about the altitude factor - it's a sickener. I don't care how Ryan says he feels. You can adjust to normal, everyday things like walking and shopping but in two weeks I'm not sure you can adjust properly. Alvarez goes to Big Bear in California and trains at altitude, where he's been for six weeks. Rhodes has been training in the steel city of Sheffield and Rotherham. There's aptitude in Yorkshire not altitude!

There's no problem with belief but he may be found wanting in this stage of his career. He is much older and he will be fighting in a very foreign land. It's remote, it's at high altitude and the Mexican crowds are savage. Ryan can prepare himself for that in his head but it's another thing on the night when 15,000 people are trying to basically abuse you. That said, he understands the enormity of the task and he can do it. I don't think Alvarez is even half as good as we're being told he is. My gut feeling tells me the altitude and Rhodes' legs, coupled with Alvarez's youth, will mean Rhodes will get stopped on his feet at some point in the last few rounds.

Fireworks can wait for Haye

Watching Wladimir Klitschko's media days last week, I'm amazed that people are surprised he's preparing well. What did people expect, for him to prepare in a nightclub?! Wladimir is a very intelligent, smart guy. This is what he does - he's cold, calculated and scientific. He won't cut a corner, he's a brilliant tactician and technician and he'll be sparring with guys who are the same height, same weight and fight at the same pace as David Haye.

I expect no stunts when David goes in front of the cameras this week, because he's got his man exactly where he wants him. David's been selling this fight since 2008, he's got the bout he wants and all he wants is to get Klitschko out of his hair now.

He's done all the selling, he's got the fight and he'll be itching to get in the ring. It will shut his critics up because most still believe Haye still doesn't want the fight. That's rubbish, he always wanted the fight, he just wanted it on his terms - which he has now got. Fantastic, let's get it on.

Source: espn.co.uk