As I predicted, Juan Manuel Marquez beat Juan Diaz. It was the correct result, but not the ending I imagined. It was probably a lapse of imagination on my part. I know JMM can bang, I just didn’t think Juan Diaz would go down. I attribute the knockdown to JMM’s new, edgier mindset.

In fairness to Diaz, he didn’t go down without a fight. He was pressuring Marquez all throughout despite getting tagged by pinpoint counterpunches – JMM’s trademark.

Now that Marquez has grabbed almost all the alphabet titles imaginable at the lightweight category, is he now considered the world’s number 1 pound for pound fighter? I say almost but not quite. Manny Pacquiao still has a stranglehold on that title, unless of course he loses badly to Ricky Hatton come May 2.

Marquez is now calling out Floyd Mayweather Jr. instead of Manny Pacquiao, saying that Pacquiao does not want to fight him. I think Pacquiao is just not interested. And Mayweather? Oh boy, this guy will not fight for peanuts and he is not one to fight a high risk guy just for R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Unless the dinero is awfully large, he would rather stay retired. And I believe Mayweather would rather fight Pacquiao.

Juan Manuel Marquez however has certainly put in a new wrinkle to the pound-for-pound debates. Pacquiao put everything in perspective when he disposed of a bigger but, forgive me for this, pathetic Oscar Dela Hoya in their fight. But with Marquez clearing out the lightweight division, everything’s buzzing and Manny will have to put the hurt on Hatton to maintain the status quo.