'Pretty Boy' prepped to punish

Undefeated Floyd Mayweather returns to the ring – and the limelight – in the early hours of tomorrow morning and has promised "blood, sweat and tears" as he prepares to fight Juan Manuel Márquez in Las Vegas.

The WBC welterweight champion retired in December 2007 after conclusively dealing Britain's Ricky Hatton his first professional defeat. But Mayweather insists he is feeling fitter than ever for his showdown at the MGM Grand.

"I feel fast, strong, my timing is there," said the American. "I feel the same way as before I left. Actually I feel a little better. I think the break helped because I haven't had a break since 1987."

Mayweather made his professional debut in 1996 against Roberto Apodaca, knocking the Mexican out in the second round. The 32-year-old then went on to score a fightcard of 39:0:0, including 25 wins by knock-out before hanging up his gloves two years ago.

Most boxing critics view the Márquez fight as simply a warm-up; an early test to ensure "The Money" has not lost his speed and still has what it takes to get in the ring with Manny Pacquiao, the sport's best pound-for-pound fighter and holder of six world titles.

Anything other than victory for the American would be a shock, but boxing great Oscar de la Hoya predicts it may not be as one-sided as people expect.

"I went down to Mexico and saw [Márquez] train with my own eyes. I saw how much he bulked up; I saw how much strength he has gained; I saw how seriously he's taking this fight," said De La Hoya, who lost his WBC super-welterweight title to Mayweather in May 2007.

"I, just have this feeling that Márquez is going to pull this one off."

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