Mailbag: Marquez is a whiz
Juan Manuel Marquez has forever stamped himself as boxing's "Whiz Kid" on a recent episode of HBO's "Mayweather-Marquez: 24/7."
The scene was reminiscent in ways of the famous commercial done by Hall of Fame football player Joe Greene. Both men are visibly worn after a vigorous workout. Each grabs a drink to replenish himself.
In Greene's case, he chugged a soft drink.
In Marquez's case, he chugged down a bottle of his own urine following a workout in preparation for his pay-per-view bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. He said he does it because the urine contains many vitamins and nutrients.
WebMD.com disagrees with Marquez's contention and explains that the purpose of the kidneys is to filter waste.
Tony Alamo Jr., a former ringside physician and member of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said it is total fallacy. He said Marquez isn't hurting himself, but clearly isn't gaining any benefit.
"It's a wives' tale, just folklore, though I have seen other boxers do this," Alamo said. "It's of absolutely no use whatsoever. The kidneys, through our evolutionary history, have become so good at keeping all the good things the body needs to keep – electrolytes, vitamins, micronutrients. It really filters the blood and all it gives you is just waste. It's urea, some extra electrolytes and water. That's what is in urine.
"There is nothing of any nutritional value. Will it do him any harm? No. Urine tends to be sterile, unless you have a urinary tract infection. It's his own urine, it's sterile and it's not going to hurt him. But this is important: It's definitely not going to help him."
It may help him in one, unintended way: No one is going to drink out of his water bottle any more after seeing that.
With that, I'm going to jump into the mailbag and answer your boxing questions and comments. I'd like to remind you to follow me on Twitter. You can send me questions for the mailbag or just choose to talk some boxing.
How dare you judge this boxer has a softer side? He is doing this giving to cover the bad things his family has done in the past, from his father to his uncle. These low-life people should never be praised because of the bad things they did. Not everyone is blind. I wish he'll be knocked out by Marquez for good. If Mayweather wins, his ego will grow out of control. If Marquez can not knock him out, I am sure Manny Pacquiao will.
Joe Buena
Elk Grove, Calif.
Well, Joe, you're the real forgiving sort, aren't you? And I'm going to bet you've never met Floyd Mayweather Sr. or Roger Mayweather or Floyd Mayweather Jr., so all you have to judge them by is what you hear in the media. Before you point fingers at anyone else, you need to look in the mirror, my friend, and not be so judgmental. When you're without fault, fire away.
Nice article. I for one am sick of people mixing up entertainment and the real personality of sports figures. Good for Floyd. He deserves a pat on the back and some good old-fashioned respect.
Darrell Simon
San Francisco
Thanks, Darrell. The character he puts on irritates many, many people. But I've covered him back to his amateur days and, while he's said and done things I don't agree with, I've always seen a different side of Floyd.
I've always respected Floyd's skills in the ring. And while I think he'd get thumped by guys like Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard or Thomas Hearns, he's the best we have today. You wrote a nice article on him and I'm sure he has a charitable side. What I don't like is the way he flaunts himself. On the first "24/7," he talked about all the fancy things he has, then said, "Mine are paid off. Are yours?" I'm sure you know how tough times are economically and a lot of people have lost their jobs and their homes. Why glorify someone who makes light of the problems real people are facing?
Kelly
Winooski, Vt.
He's a complex man with many different sides, some good, some bad. The public knows much about the bad side. I thought I'd try to show a side not a lot of people are aware of. I'm not making a value judgment. Rather, I'm just trying to give people a sense of what makes Floyd the man he is.
Marquez will win
The toughest fight of Floyd Mayweather's career came when he fought Jose Luis Castillo. I believe to this day that the judges stole that from Castillo because it was in Mayweather's hometown. Castillo pressured Mayweather and trapped him in the corner and pounded on him. I think Marquez will do the same thing. I know you love Floyd, but I think Juan Manuel is the better fighter.
Elan
Mexico City
I have great respect for Marquez (except when he chugs his urine), but I don't see him winning this fight. Mayweather is bigger, faster, quicker and the better defensive fighter. Marquez is also a counter puncher, like Mayweather, so I doubt he'll be forcing Mayweather backward or to the ropes. If Mayweather winds up there, it will be of his own volition. If they do fight in close a lot, I think it will be bad for Marquez because Mayweather's exceptionally fast hands may get off three punches to every one he throws.
Why is Oscar De La Hoya running his mouth about ways to beat Mayweather? Is it to try to sell tickets for the fight, or is he actually convinced that he has the "inside scoop" to beating Mayweather? He has been campaigning hard for Marquez. Is it because he truly believes Marquez can win, or is it because he believes got robbed in his bout with Mayweather? I'm not a De La Hoya fan in the least bit. I thought he was an above average fighter, but definitely not one of the greatest. I read in some post that he said how easy it was to get to Mayweather. I don't remember that at all. What do you think?
Jason
East Orange, N.J.
Jason, De La Hoya the promoter of Juan Manuel Marquez. If the public believes Marquez has a chance to win, the fight will sell more tickets and more pay-per-views. If the public believes it's one-sided in Mayweather's favor, most casual fans will pass. So Oscar's just backing his guy and trying to drum up business.
Fight in movie theaters
I think it's fantastic that the Mayweather-Marquez fight will be shown in movie theaters across the country, apparently the first time since the Leonard-Duran no mas fight in 1980! Who initiated this, and how likely is it to become standard for big fights? Any idea whether Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto might also be shown the old-fashioned way? I remember my Dad telling me about seeing Ali fight in the theaters in the '60s. I feel excited and lucky to finally have the chance to watch a fight this way on Saturday.
Jason Rhodes
Athens, Ga.
This came as a result of the relationship between Golden Boy and AEG. AEG owns the Staples Center in Los Angeles and other major arenas around the world, as well as a small stake in Golden Boy and a chain of movie theaters. Credit for working this deal out goes to Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer. Given Golden Boy has no part in Pacquiao-Cotto, it's unlikely this will be done for that fight.
Pacquiao-Cotto fight talk
What do you see as Miguel Cotto's greatest advantage against Manny Pacquiao as they prepare to meet on Nov. 14? Do you think he can go the distance?
Rhiam
Philippines
Cotto is a fierce body puncher who wears fighters down with that body attack. If this was the Cotto before the fight with Antonio Margarito getting set to fight Pacquiao, I'd really favor Cotto. But he seems to have slowed down since the beating he took from Margarito and he's taking a lot of punishment. Manny's got quicker hands and, unless I see something from Miguel to convince me otherwise, I'm picking Pacquiao to win the fight.
