I don't think either one of you is gonna back down, guys...

Yes, I’m certainly more of an MMA guy, which will turn off many boxing fans from reading any further right then and there. But I respect and marvel at the skills of boxers, and my father and one of my grandfathers was a boxer, so I’m not completely clueless and I’m not an MMA fan who thinks boxing is dead or even dying. I’ve been looking into boxing more and more, actually, because I’m so terrible with my hands in kickboxing, so I’ll likely be more of a boxing fan in the future. Either that, or my face will develop a callous from the punches.

Now that you understand I won’t be hostile to the sweet science, let’s talk about the Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Juan Manuel Marquez fight on 19 September. BetUS has the odds for a win by KO/TKO/DQ at +175 Mayweather, +750 Marquez. For a Decision or Technical Decision, it’s -120 Mayweather, +550 Marquez. For a Draw or Technical Draw, the odds are +2500 at BetUS. Outright bets on a win are -450 for Mayweather Jr and +325 for Marquez.

Is Mayweather Jr more likely to win? You had better believe it, look at his record and see that aside from being undefeated, which isn’t exactly a rarity in boxing, he has fought some top competition such as Oscar de la Hoya (though later in that great fighter’s career), Ricky Hatton, and Arturo Gatti. His career has many detractors, but that’s the case with most modern boxers. He could have a bit of ring rust after near 2 years away from competition, but it’s unlikely to open him up to disaster.

Marquez has defeated formidable opponents as well, but he’ll be fighting at a higher weight than he has normally fought at. He’s done that before and had success, and he certainly deserves a high placing in any pound-for-pound rankings, but this is a welterweight debut against Floyd Mayweather Jr. You’d think a tune up bout would be a good idea before a fight like that, no matter how talented you are.

The question then, is which bet to make? Well, I think that placing a bet on Mayweather Jr. to win by KO/TKO/DQ is not too bad at +175, as the man is not without knockout power. While Marquez has never lost by KO, he will be moving up in weight, so we have yet to see him take the punches of a welterweight. It still seems more likely that Mayweather Jr. will win by some kind of decision, which is not a bad bet at -120, but I think the possibility of a KO should not be ruled out.

If you would like to place a bet on this fight or other fights on that 19 September card, then be sure to check out BetUS. They also have odds on the Rocky Juarez vs. Chris John fight, with John at -350 and Juarez at +250.