© Tom Hogan - Hoganphotos

The moment of Floyd Mayweather's return to a boxing ring has finally arrived tonight as the top boxer on the planet faces Juan Manuel Marquez over twelve rounds at welterweight at Las Vegas' MGM Grand.

There isn't much that hasn't already been said or written about this pairing and it's obvious that Mayweather is the favorite heading into tonight's clash.

But there are variables to the accepted wisdom of Mayweather having the advantage in size and speed, not the least of which is the former multi-weight champ having been away from pro boxing since stopping Ricky Hatton in December, 2007.

Mayweather, 39-0 (25), has only fought a trio of bouts over the last three years and that could be a problem against the much more active Marquez, 50-4-1 (37).

These two are both counter punchers at heart and the early rounds will likely feature a lot of feeling out before the offense begins in earnest.

Both like to box from the outside but with Mayweather's height and reach advantages, it will be likely up to Marquez to get to grips and make Floyd fight.

When all is said it done, the outcome of this will come down to basics; can Marquez land consistently against the best defensive fighter in the world?

So many before him have tried and failed, but there have been glimpses of what can happen when Mayweather gets nailed flush.

Jose Luis Castillo, DeMarcus Corley, Zab Judah, Jesus Chavez and Emanuel Agustus all found ways to get to Mayweather but they couldn't do it enough to take control and put a defeat on the spotless record of "Pretty Boy".

Can Juan Manuel Marquez reverse the trend?

The 36 year old Mexican is very accurate, economical and throws some of the best combinations of any fighter in any weight class.

His 24 rounds against Manny Pacquiao display just how good Marquez is but he'll be coming up significantly in weight, never having boxed above the 135 pound limit.

If Marquez can pull off the upset, he'll stand as one of the greatest modern day Mexican fighters and that is a very big incentive to produce the best performance of his career.

Because that is what it will take to knock off Mayweather.

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