Mayweather can do well on the inside so long as he has space. Floyd angles his body so it is hard for a short armed fighter to hit him clean, while still being able to hit his opponent. Marquez needs to pin Floyd on the ropes and let his hands go. That's what Castillo and De La Hoya did.
Its a tough fight for Marquez. Not only is he moving up in weight. He is also shorter than Floyd both in height and arm reach. If you look at Floyd's opponent list, the guys that gave him the most trouble all appear to have an arm reach between 69-73 inches. JMM reach is at 67 inches. Even with a good jab, Marquez has alot of ground to cover to get at Floyd.
On the other hand, this is the first "pure Mexican" fighter Floyd has faced since Castillo. JMM is a smart fighter who probably still gives Pacquiao's people nightmares. Floyd has had a number of distractions leading up to this fight, and is coming off a 21 month layoff. Despite his success, I don't think 147lbs is a great weight for Mayweather. He is slower, and more conservative with his punch output than at 135 or even 140. Floyd is leaning more now than ever on his ability to anticipate opponents punches and positioning to make up for problems. It will be interesting to see how the vacation has effected his strengths and weaknesses. Here's the Mayweather vs Marquez online free streaming preview:
I still favor Mayweather in the fight. However, I would not be surprised if Marquez pulls it off. I agree with shadio2 JMM is probably the best fighter Floyd has ever faced. If Floyd's number is up, Marquez is more than capable of cashing in. Let's see how it goes when we watch Mayweather vs Marquez online live from MGM Grand this Saturday, September 19, 2009.