Coach pours cold water on Dinamita

Mexican Juan Manuel Márquez may have the ideal style to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr tomorrow morning, but the American's uncle and trainer Roger Mayweather believes his nephew's superior skill will be insurmountable.

Márquez, who has won world titles in three weight divisions, is renowned for his counter-punching and the older Mayweather cautioned that a different approach would be foolhardy in the non-title welterweight bout.

"If [Márquez] fights like a real head-first fighter, he's gonna get knocked out early," said Roger Mayweather inside at the MGM Grand. "He's got a little bit of head movement, he's got some boxing skill and obviously he's got some tough will," the American said of Márquez, who has an impressive 50-4-1 career record with 37 knockouts.

"So he ain't the easiest guy to beat. He ain't bad. It's just that he's facing the best guy in the sport."

Mayweather Jr, 39-0 (25) has not fought since he knocked out Britain's Ricky Hatton in December 2007, but his uncle isn't concerned about ring-rust.

"I know one thing about lay-offs and I know about fighters," said Roger Mayweather. "What did you think Sugar Ray Leonard had? He had a five-and-a-half-year lay-off. He had two detached retina surgeries.

"But he still beat the greatest middleweight. He beat Marvin Hagler when he was laid off five-and-a-half-years. Fights are won by skill. That's all there is to it."

During the younger Mayweather's absence from the ring, most experts anointed Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines as the best fighter in the world, courtesy of his recent victories over Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya. Roger Mayweather, though, ridiculed the idea.

"I don't see how Pacquiao is best," he said of his undefeated nephew. "He's already got a loss. How is he gonna be the best if he already got a loss?

"Floyd ain't lost… so how is he not the best? You can't be the best fighter just because you beat Oscar De La Hoya. Floyd beat De La Hoya too and he did it at a higher weight [class]."

If Mayweather beats Márquez and Pacquiao overcomes Puerto Ricos Miguel Cotto in November, the two victors could clash sometime in Las Vegas next year.

Not that Roger Mayweather would be too worried: "My nephew's the most skilled fighter in the world, period."

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