It's a big weekend for fight fans. But perhaps one of the more unique things about it is that for once, boxing and MMA fans can kiss and make up. The critics can no longer refer to MMA as an underground sport for degenerates: being on FOX forces them to take notice. But for MMA fans, perhaps this is a good time to get them acquainted with boxing too. 

When Manny Pacquiao entered the boxing world of the elite, he did so during a crucial period: a period spawned by two great Mexican Bantamweight boxers. Marco Antonio Barrera, and Erik Morales. They put on an absolute classic in 2000 at Mandalay Bay (highlights and videos after the jump). Morales won, though not without controversy: it was a nip tuck battle all the way, and when Barrera scored a knockdown in the 12th, fans and media thought for sure that would seal the fight for MAB. It didn't, and Morales would leave from Bantanweight to Featherweight.

However, it was Barrera who would score the biggest win that put FW on the map: a map outlined first by the real king of FW - a brash, British boxer named Naseem 'Prince' Hamed. He was undefeated, had unreal power, and with a crowed pleasing style is sometimes credited as the boxer that paved the way for the lighter weights to make money. But that power was attached to a boxer with little consideration for defense, relying more on head movement and reflexes than fundamentals. He'd fight with his hands down, and against one of his toughest opponents in Kevin Kelley, he'd pay for those habits: several times. But he was too loud to be deterred, and he ended up putting Kelley down in brutal fashion. Despite flashes of humanity, he was still a boxing deity to many.

So here comes Barrera, the underdog. While the fight is, I think, unfairly characterized as lopsided, it was still comfortably Barrera's. It was a picture perfect example of how a fight can be completely engrossing, and yet be completely technical at the same time. There wasn't drama: just mechanics. And it was just as glorious. With Hamed dethroned (much to the delight of HBO's commentary booth, who all but poured champagne over MAB's head), Barrera became the new face of Featherweight.

With the Barrera/Morales trilogy still ongoing, a one, Manny Pacquiao would makes his way to the division. His first high profile fight was against Barrera, and cut a path down the middle, stem to sternum. While much was made of the wildfires of California that disrupted his training camp, and a metal plate in his head, it didn't change the fact that Manny had arrived, and was here to stay.

His next fight would be against Juan Manuel Marquez: a Mexican fighter distanced from the spotlight, though well respected. At this point, you guys can take it from here. Marquez was battered in the first round. He was knocked down three times. But watch the round again: Marquez displayed supernatural toughness. Yes, he got caught, but in the seconds that remained after the 3rd knockdown, he took left hands that were considerably worse. For many fighters, that 3rd knockdown could have been an excuse not to get back up. Nobody would have thought of him any less either. But he did, and won so many rounds after that, the fight was scored a draw (the caveat being that any round containing 3 knockdowns should be ruled a 10-6, which the judge who scored the fight a draw failed to do, instead scoring it 10-7).

It was a great fight that should have put Marquez in the same territory as MAB, Morales, and even Pacman. But it didn't. His career stalled after that. Pricing himself out of big name fights (having turned down the immediate rematch with Pacquaio), he'd go on to take questionable fights (and for less money: though to be fair, I don't know Marquez' reasons). Orlando Salcido had no business being in the ring with him. Chris John did, but it was a strange fight to take: Marquez traveled all the way to Indonesia to capture the WBA Featherweight title. It was a big risk, low reward fight made all the more embarrassing by the fact that Marquez lost. 

Juan continued his string of strange fights, and none more symbolic than his bout with the Filipino sensation Jim...rex...Jaca? Jimrex, like Pacman, was a southpaw. Lederman had Jaca winning two rounds to one going into the 3rd, emphasizing the problems Marquez was having. Juan would win in the 9th, but it prompted the question, "what for?"

Marquez would finally start getting big name fights following the bout with Jimrex. And eventually, he got his rematch with Manny. Though not as dramatic as the first, it was another brilliant technical affair by both men.

I'm pleased that Marquez is entrenched into boxing lore alongside guys like MAB, and Morales. And while arguments are often made that he won both Pacquiao fights, I think Manny will win this one comfortably. Manny has continued to improve while Marquez has plateaued.

In a way, I think it will look like Manny's rematch with Morales. Marquez has always relied on timing. He's the consummate counter puncher. But as that timing declines, so to will his ability to scout fighters like Manny. Manny by TKO, round 10. 

For highlights of their first two encounters, and a few other goodies, hit the jump:

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I'm kind of conflicted about last night's boxing shenanigans. For starters, I care very little about the sport. There's a laundry list a mile long filled with things wrong with it. The only one I'll really mention here is that the best athletes no longer look at boxing as an avenue out - and they haven't for a couple of decades. The best American athletes gravitate towards the NBA if they're tall, football if they're big and everything else if they can't hack it in those. With baseball, skateboarding, hockey, soccer, boxing and mixed martial arts getting the scraps that the big two team sports aren't, the nation doesn't care nearly as much as it did about any of those as it used to.

Yes, baseball is still #2 in terms of popularity, but many of the best and brightest in the sport aren't the true "athletes" who could have done any sport they felt like, but happened to choose baseball. Insert your own Explosive and Athletic joke if you so desire, but I'm not referring to race. In general, baseball players are not the raw, physical athletic specimens you see playing power forward or defensive end. Regardless of skin color, it's just not usually the Joe Athlete that could dunk a ball, throw 40 yards in the air, run a 4.5 40, golf with no handicap of the world that becomes a baseball player.

What I'm trying to say is that the future Pretty Boy Floyd's of the world are not becoming boxers. They've found a better avenue to use their athleticism to make money that doesn't require getting punched in the head ten thousand times. Make no mistake, Mayweather is a phenomenal athlete. Fast and powerful, adept at not taking damage, and great instincts. Boxing used to get some of the cream of the crop because that was their best shot out of abject poverty - now they go elsewhere.

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"Who exactly is Floyd "Money" Mayweather? It depends on who you ask. Is he the greatest boxer of his generation? Or is he a coward who ducks the best opponents? A showman playing the game? Or a disrespectful loudmouth?"

These are the questions Fraser Coffeen over at Bloody Elbow has posed to the readers, and his answer is the unequivocal affirmative: boxing and MMA need Floyd Mayweather. I do disagree with this (for reasons made explicit by the title), but only on certain points, so before you tell me I'm clueless (largely true), let me explain myself in a few hundred words.

Yes, Floyd's actions attract fans. But his actions are intimately connected to his ability: people tune in precisely because he's a bombastic constellation of all of the above. As a showman, as a phenomenal boxer, as a sport politician, and as a goon...he's the perfect storm of what attracts us to sports because no matter how much we hate him, he's a brilliant boxer. And no matter how brilliant his boxing is, he's disrespectful, and a clown.

To the end that MMA needs a big draw like Floyd himself, no. An emphatic no. Moreover, why? Floyd Mayweather, despite his obvious boxing draw, is a headcase. Writers, specifically MMA writers, seem knee deep in this pro wrestling mentality that how you put on a show is more important than the show itself (not that the former is unimportant). Mayweather is a certified headcase. For as much money as he's made for boxing, he's also cost them. Have people suddenly forgotten the frustration over the lack of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao on the horizon? Newsflash: Ortiz will lose the rematch, and lose it badly. As far as I can tell, the question on everyone's mind, and the question Mayweather dodged that Larry Merchant was surely approaching before suggesting 50 years is all that separated Merchant from attacking Floyd with a busted beer bottle and his walking cane, was "what about Manny?" 

In addition, this ignores Floyd's troubled history away from the ring. It would be one thing if Floyd were simply a loudmouth. But he's not. He's a loudmouth with a rich history of domestic disputes involving assault against women: the count is up to 8 charges of domestic violence in fact. Should this be ignored in favor of saying "well, it's ok because you make boxing a lot of money, and us writers get more material".

Manny Pacquiao will fight Juan Manuel Marquez in what should be a fantastic scrap. Boxing will live on. UFC 136 and 137 are on the horizon, and they are fantastic cards. Guess what, MMA will live on.

Speaking for myself, I don't care about the extracurricular activity. It's amusing, and in last night's case, I got a good laugh, but do the people that paid good money to watch the fight pay because they were under the impression boxing was finally delivering (insofar as they could without offering the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight), or because Floyd would do something classless in the 4th round (I've already articulated, however, why Ortiz and Cortez are equally if not more so, at fault in this case however)? Everyone I talk to feels like they got ripped off.

People like Mayweather are compelling, but only up to a point. And their behavior deserves condemnation, as opposed to the type of enabling you see in the blogosphere. So no, boxing and MMA don't need Floyd Mayweather. Not because he's valuable to the sport, and one of a kind (which he is), but because he's a luxury, plain and simple.

After this weekend something was extremely clear, even those that proclaim that boxing is a dead sport and is limping to the finish line had to put that aside and watch in awe as Manny Pacquiao put on what could be considered a career-highlight performance against an easily vilified opponent, Antonio Margarito. Manny Pacquiao is a lot like a superhero; mild-mannered, works incredibly hard, is always in the public eye and has very few missteps. What is most important is that much like a superhero, Manny Pacquiao makes you a believer, no matter how jaded or how many times you've been around the block. You watch Manny Pacquiao and you sit in awe. 

This weekend I remember watching the fight (notice how I call it the fight? UFC has yet to reach that level to where it is 'the fight' yet) and telling my friend that this was like watching something out of a movie. Margarito is a hulk of a man compared to Manny Pacquiao, he is bigger, stronger and looks like a movie villain. He walked out to the ring in an ominous robe with his long beard and grizzled face, his first fight back on American soil after an exile for being caught cheating with plaster wraps, potentially dangerous and life-threatening in the sport of boxing behavior, which made everyone call into question all of his big wins over the past few years. There were actually complaints about this match up, that Margarito didn't deserve a Manny Payday or such spotlight, but after watching any of the coverage, it was clear this was a David vs. Goliath affair, this was good vs. evil, as black and white as they come in the combat sports world.

Manny Pacquiao absolutely dissected Antonio Margarito. Margarito made a few valiant comebacks, where he'd push the smaller man into the ropes and begin wailing on him, but the quicker Pacquiao was able to escape every time with minimal damage. To understand how ridiculous this is, Manny Pacquiao was fighting forty pounds heavier than he was when he began his career and was still giving up fifteen pounds to Margarito once Margarito was fully hydrated. Imagine it like this, if a MMA fighter who fights at 135lbs had been fighting at 155lbs, then decided to cut his teeth against Thiago Alves at 170lbs. 

What does this all mean and have to do with MMA and kickboxing? Manny Pacquiao transcends the sport of boxing. At this point, he is bigger than the sport. He is a politician, he is a superstar, he is a household name, and in a way, he is Superman. At this point, his main foil is Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who has been seemingly avoiding the inevitable superfight between the two. I understand, for Floyd, if he beats Manny he is just Floyd, for Manny, if he beats Floyd then he will be considered by many to be the greatest of all time. MMA has some big names and top fighters, like Anderson Silva an Georges St. Pierre, but both have shown weakness within the past few years. On top of that, neither have been able to transcend the UFC machine, nor will they ever be. 

You won't turn on the news and see GSP's mug on there making a public appearance. Even his in-ring performances have been called into question for being "too safe" and not being flashy. Just when he was beginning to get an aura, Matt Serra knocked him out. GSP came back, but the tarnish of that loss is still there.

In kickboxing, Semmy Schilt is without a doubt on top of the Superheavyweight world, but Schilt is very human, with losses within the past few years and a fighting style that gets on the nerves of many, including his bosses. Badr Hari has an aura unlike anyone else and if he and his handlers could pull things together, Hari could easily have that Mike Tyson aura of Badr being a destroyer. Giorgio Petrosyan is closest to Pacquiao in the skill department, as I think you could make a sound argument that each are pound-for-pound the best in their respective sport (same with GSP). What Petrosyan has in skill, speed, power and raw ability he lacks in charisma and appeal. There is something charming about when Manny Pacquiao talks or how he is always smiling.

This just leads me to believe that for right now, Manny Pacquiao is the undisputed ruler of the combat sports world and the only person who will bring that to a halt will be himself when he decides to retire. 

There is a certain part of me that really wants this to happen, and another part of me that sees this as utter insanity. Manny Pacquiao has become, without a doubt, one of history's best pound-for-pound kings in boxing. That is, of course, in and of itself insanity as well. This tiny guy from the Phillipines who didn't make a huge impression early on in his career has became one of the biggest stories in boxing since Mike Tyson and the rise of Oscar de la Hoya. Basically, he is a big deal. We don't cover a lot of boxing here, because, honestly, BadLeftHook and The Boxing Bulletin do their jobs very well, but it is hard to ignore giant superstars like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

So the fight that might never happen might happen again, as Floyd Mayweather prepares for his bout with Shane Mosley, Pacquiao discusses the future for both men.

International boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao said it is still possible for him to face former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. if they both come out victorious in their respective battles, one outside the ring and the other inside the ring, in May.

“There’s that big possibility,” said Pacquiao in a report posted on Bloomberg.com.

Pacquiao is facing Roy Chiongbian for the lone congressional seat in Sarangani Province on May 10 while Mayweather will fight Shane Mosley on May 1.

The Filipino boxer, who recently retained his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title by defeating Joshua Clottey, said he wants to fight Mayweather before he retires.

Pacquiao, however, admitted that he still has to convince his family, especially his mother Dionisia Pacquiao, to allow him to fight.

“My mother wants me to retire from boxing; it’s 50-50 at this point… I will discuss this with the entire family,” he said.

There are a lot of positives to highlight from the past few days in Japanese Boxing, outlined on Boxing Blog the Boxing Bulletin, including the Champion's Carnival continuing. The big news coming out of Japan over the past few days was the first death in a boxing ring since March 10, 1952.

Yamaki was involved in a bout on Feb. 19th against fellow 110lbs competitor Toshimasa Ouchi when he was knocked out in the 8th round. He failed to stir after the fight was called and was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with an acute subdural hematoma. Doctors spent days attempting to to sustain and repair the 26 year old, who was ranked 11th at Flyweight, but he passed away on Monday morning.

Obviously there will be further inquiries by the Japan Boxing Commission to prevent such a tragedy from happening again in the ring.

Combat sports in Japan have a time honored tradition of displays of honor and amazing feats through tournament victories. Boxing is of course no different, as there is more to boxing than just the Kameda brothers, as SBN's own Boxing Bulletin has been showing over the past few weeks, covering the Champion Carnival this year.

Of course one of the highlights from last weekend was Daiki Kameda capturing the WBA Flyweight Championship.

The champion simply looked uninspired, and while his attack to Kameda’s very long midsection earned him a few rounds, he suffered from the same lack of stamina that produced the ugly first meeting four months ago. While a boxing master, such as Bernard Hopkins, will use clinching to disrupt and prevent a challenger from getting into an offensive groove, Denkaosan’s repetitious holding only resulted in point deductions on two occasions and emphasized his apathy toward protecting his crown. 

Kameda’s next match has already been determined, as the WBA has issued a mandate that the winner of this bout fight former champion Takefumi Sakata. Does the longtime Flyweight stalwart have anything left in the tank? Is Kameda’s transformation as a boxer complete? Those are perhaps the two major questions that will be answered with this match up. 

While flashes of the old Daiki appeared during yesterday’s fight on a few occasions as he smirked at and taunted the Thai champion, it would seem that he has rededicated himself to the sport and grown up just enough that he did not let his frustration with Denkaosan’s clinching get the better of him. I would not go so far as to say this version has learned humility, but I will say that he certainly has taken steps toward maturity.

Stay tuned for The Boxing Bulletin for more Japanese Boxing coverage.

We all knew this day would come, and it was supposed to be last year until heavyweight Brett Rogers did the impossible and knocked former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski out in just seconds flat, a feat the former champ was known for during his much talked about UFC run. Andrei has long been training with superstar boxing coach Freddie Roach, who firmly believes in Andrei's boxing ability. Now that Arlovski has had time to heal up, collect himself and do some soul searching, he will dip his toe into the boxing waters and have an exhibition bout against Fres Oquendo for charity in Miami on Feb. 27. 

Both men seem to be eager to help out those in need, and Arlovski of course is looking to raise some eyebrows in the boxing world, with his MMA career at a standstill at the moment. 

"I am honored to step into the ring with a great fighter like Fres Oquendo. This is going to be an exciting exhibition match but we already know the winner: the children we are helping" says Arlovski.

Oquendo says, "I have seen Arlovski in the ring and in the cage and I am excited to be able to showcase my skills against an MMA legend. Believe me, we are going to go at it for four rounds with the goal that every punch and every blow helps this cause. "