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At its regular meeting on Monday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission appointed officials for the Top Rank-promoted Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley Jr. card, which takes place June 9 (HBO PPV) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas:

Pacquiao-Bradley (welterweight title bout): referee Robert Byrd and judges Duane Ford, C.J. Ross and Jerry Roth.

Jorge Arce-Jesus Rojas (junior featherweight bout): referee Kenny Bayless and judges Adalaide Byrd, Dick Houck and Patricia Morse Jarman.

Mike Jones-Randall Bailey (vacant welterweight title bout): referee Tony Weeks and judges Dave Moretti, Ricardo Ocasio and Jack Ries.

Guillermo Rigondeaux-Teon Kennedy (junior featherweight title bout): referee Russell Mora and judges Lisa Giampa, Glenn Trowbridge and Pat Russell.

It has become one of boxing's great traditions: Manny Pacquiao going on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" before he fights.

Pacquiao will be back on Kimmel's couch in Hollywood, Calif., on Thursday night (ABC, 12:05 a.m. ET/PT) in advance of his welterweight title defense against Timothy Bradley Jr. (28-0, 12 KOs) on June 9 (HBO PPV) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Kimmel, who has called himself a "lucky rabbit's foot" for Pacquiao, has had the Filipino congressman on before each of his fights for the past three years. Thursday's appearance will be Pacquiao's sixth consecutive prefight appearance on Kimmel dating back to November 2009, beginning with his welterweight title victory against Miguel Cotto.

That first appearance was the most memorable, as it was when Pacquiao crooned his rendition of the Dan Hill ballad "Sometimes When We Touch," which he and Hill later remade. Pacquiao has also sung with Kimmel ("How Deep is Your Love") and actor Will Ferrell ("Imagine") in other highly entertaining appearances.

No word on whether Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) will sing on Thursday night's episode, which will also feature actress Charlize Theron and a musical performance by Graffiti 6.

For months, Top Rank talked about putting on a July 14 pay-per-view card at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but now it looks like the talk is over and there won't be a show.

Originally, Top Rank's Bob Arum said the card would be headlined by Mexican star Juan Manuel Marquez, who won an interim junior welterweight belt in April, and that junior featherweight titlist Nonito Donaire would fight in the co-feature.

Then Arum said Donaire wouldn't be on the card because the company would give him his own date (probably June 30 on HBO). Even without Donaire, Marquez would still headline, Arum said. But no deal had been finalized with a television company to distribute the event and Marquez had no opponent.

Top Rank was talking to HBO about working on the show, and Top Rank certainly could have done it on its own, but time is running short to mount a legitimate pay-per-view promotion.

Then came the usual steady stream of discussion about whom Marquez would fight. Junior welterweight titlist Lamont Peterson was originally mentioned, but he instead accepted a rematch with Amir Khan (which was supposed to have taken place last Saturday but was canceled when Peterson tested positive for a synthetic testosterone).

Other names were mentioned for Marquez: fellow Mexican star and future Hall of Famer Erik Morales (a fight I've wanted to see for about a decade), former titlist Zab Judah, former lightweight titlist Brandon Rios (coming off a gift decision against Richard Abril that most sane people thought was a very obvious Abril victory) and the utterly unknown Mercito Gesta, a talented Filipino lightweight who is, alas, nowhere near ready to face a fighter of Marquez's caliber.

In the end, after all the talk, Top Rank pulled the plug on the event Monday because Marquez elected not to fight on the pay-per-view. From what I hear from those around Marquez, the financial package wasn't to Marquez's liking. Plus, he didn't want to fight Rios, the opponent Top Rank wanted him to face.

Marquez had previously said he preferred a southpaw opponent (Judah and Gesta would have fit) in anticipation of a possible fourth fight with Manny Pacquiao, a left-hander, in the fall.

Now Marquez might instead wait to see what happens in the June 9 Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley Jr. fight. If Pacquiao wins, Marquez figures to be at the top of the list for Pacquiao's November opponent.

Arum had been in talks with Main Events' Kathy Duva about a Marquez-Judah fight, but according to Duva, Arum told her Monday that "Marquez has decided not to fight at all in July."

Zanfer Promotions, which has a promotional contract with Marquez but works closely with Top Rank, said it is possible Marquez could still fight this summer -- but in Mexico on July 21 or July 28, likely against a lesser opponent.

When Floyd Mayweather Jr. was facing Miguel Cotto on May 5 in Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao – who boxing fans around the world want to see Mayweather fight – was arriving in Los Angeles on his flight from the Philippines with trainer Freddie Roach to begin the second part of his training camp.

Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) returned to Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club on Monday to continue training for his title defense against junior welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr. (28-0, 12 KOs) on June 9 (HBO PPV) at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand, which also hosted Mayweather-Cotto.

After Mayweather outpointed Cotto to win a junior middleweight belt, Mayweather, who is headed to jail for an 87-day sentence on June 1, talked about a possible retirement.

Few believe Mayweather will retire and, given how much money he makes with each fight and the fact that he remains at the top of his game, it is unlikely that he will. But Pacquiao, at least, said he has no intention of retiring at this point.

“I saw the Mayweather-Cotto fight,” said Pacquiao, who must have seen it on a DVR or DVD. “It was a good fight and everyone [the fans] was happy. I have no opinion on Mayweather’s plans to retire. That’s his decision. A very personal decision.

“I’m glad to be back at Freddie’s gym. I have no plans to retire. I still love what I’m doing. Freddie and I had a good camp in the Philippines and we are ready to work very hard in preparation for Timothy Bradley. Bradley is strong, undefeated and young. I have a great deal of respect for his talents and his accomplishments."

Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division champion, wasted no time getting back into the training groove. He began his first day of training in Hollywood with a 6:45 a.m. run from Griffith Park up the Hollywood Hills to the landmark Hollywood sign. According to publicist Fred Sternburg, Pacquiao shaved a minute off his personal-best time, running the 3.5-mile course in 22 minutes.

Then Pacquiao worked out for three hours with Roach at Wild Card, going 10 rounds on the mitts followed by two hours of conditioning and hitting the bags.

“We are on a steady pace to get Manny to where he will peak on June 9,” Roach said. “We built a good base to build on in our training in the Philippines. Now it’s time for the hard work and the strategy.”

Roach, who badly wants to see Pacquiao and Mayweather face each other, said he did not see Mayweather-Cotto. Roach continues to believe Mayweather is ducking Pacquiao.

“I did not see the Mayweather-Cotto fight but I do know that Floyd’s slippery defense is now better outside the ring than inside the ring. But that is the path he has chosen,” Roach said.

“Would Manny beat Floyd? You bet. The way to beat Floyd is to outwork him every minute of every round. Manny is the only fighter capable of executing that game plan. Activity kills Mayweather. You need to stay busy against him and not let him dictate the pace by slowing down the fight. Southpaws are his other weakness. Manny is just a bad combination for Floyd to fight. If it would bring Floyd into the ring, I’d agree to have Manny fight him right-handed.”

Can't get enough boxing programming around the big fights? If that's the case, HBO and Showtime have the latest installments of their reality shows to go along with the promotion of major fights.

HBO kicks off the promotion for Manny Pacquiao's welterweight title defense against Timothy Bradley Jr., which takes place June 9 (HBO PPV) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, with the debut of "Face Off With Max Kellerman: Pacquiao/Bradley" on Saturday night -- well, really Sunday morning -- at 12:30 a.m. ET/PT.

Kellerman is the moderator for the interview session with both fighters, who sit face to face while answering his questions. They also have a chance to address each other. There are a slew of replays of the 15-minute program available on HBO and the HBO2 service, as well as availability on HBO On Demand.

Over on Showtime, the network is gearing up for the rescheduled welterweight rematch between former titleholders Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto, with a three-part "Fight Camp 360º: Ortiz vs. Berto II" reality series.

Ortiz and Berto first squared off in April 2011 in one of the best fights of the year, which Ortiz won by decision to claim a world title. The rematch is scheduled for June 23 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It was originally scheduled for Feb. 11 in Las Vegas but was postponed when Berto suffered a torn biceps.

"Fight Camp" debuts June 13 on Showtime (10 p.m. ET/PT). Episode 2 premiers June 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The first two episodes are 30-minute shows, with the third episode being a 15-minute show that will wrap up the fight on June 30 (9 p.m. ET/PT).

Besides replays being available on the Showtime Extreme platform and Showtime On Demand, episodes will also be replayed on Showtime sister network CBS Sports Network.

LAS VEGAS -- Right around the time Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Miguel Cotto were throwing down in Saturday night's terrific fight, Manny Pacquiao arrived on U.S. shores.

While Mayweather was outpointing Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to win a junior middleweight title for the second time, Pacquiao was landing at LAX after a long flight from the Philippines.

Pacquiao, along with trainer Freddie Roach, are back on American soil to finish Pacquiao's training camp for his welterweight title defense against junior welterweight titleholder Timothy Bradley Jr. on June 9 (HBO PPV), also at the MGM Grand.

With Mayweather-Cotto in the rearview mirror, that fight marks the next big date on the boxing calendar.

Pacquiao and Roach were greeted by a throng of fans when their Philippine Airlines Flight arrived. They will resume training on Monday at Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.

Of course, boxing fans want to see Mayweather and Pacquiao slug it out. Alas, it ain't happening, based on what Mayweather said after his victory.

Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs), boxing's only eight-division champion, wasn't concerned about what was going with Mayweather-Cotto upon his arrival. Instead, he is looking forward to the fight with Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs).

"No matter what Bradley says, I still have the hunger to win," Pacquiao said, in reference to previous remarks made by Bradley. "I had a great camp in the Philippines. No distractions at all. We are ready to step it up over the next four weeks at Wild Card. This is a big fight for me. I can't wait for June 9."

Added Roach: "Maybe Bradley should come over to the Wild Card and see how hard Manny works in the ring. No one works harder -- no one -- and Manny is not ready to give up his throne. Manny is so serious. He gave up playing basketball, and that means a lot to him. He is a serious, dedicated athlete going into a very big fight. Now we do our finishing training at the Wild Card. I promise you Manny will shoot the works when he faces Bradley."

LAS VEGAS -- One of the main talking points surrounding the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Miguel Cotto fight on Saturday night at the MGM Grand is the weight limit.

The fight is contracted at a maximum of 154 pounds for Cotto's junior middleweight title, which means that Mayweather, a reigning welterweight champion, is moving up in weight from 147 pounds.

And there is no artificial catchweight involved. It's 154 max -- a division that Mayweather has fought at only once before, in 2007, when he claimed a junior middleweight title via split decision against Oscar De La Hoya. For that fight, Mayweather weighed 150 pounds while De La Hoya was 154.

Mayweather said he didn't try to get Cotto to make a lower catchweight, that he wanted Cotto -- a former welterweight and junior welterweight titleholder who has steadily moved up in weight -- to be comfortable. As Mayweather has said, he didn't want there to be any excuses after he beats Cotto at his preferred weight.

"I think, with me, it really don't play a major factor, but with some fighters it does play a major factor, because some guys can push certain guys around," Mayweather said of the weight. "But you know me -- I think my skills are on a different level from any other fighter, so when it's all said and done, skills pay the bills.

"You got certain guys that it all depends on what style of boxing, what style of fighting a guy is doing when you move up to a different weight class. I'm a guy that doesn't believe in really taking any punishment. I believe in dishing it out. I don't really think weight is going to really play a major key. I think it's going to come down to the skills."

One of the things Cotto wanted before accepting the fight with Mayweather was for the weight limit to be set at 154.

"I give thanks to him for making the fight in my weight," Cotto said. "If he wants my title, he has to fight in my weight, and he does it in the correct way. It's my weight class. I feel comfortable in here. I'm feeling pretty strong, really happy to get this fight in my weight class, and I just prepared myself well enough for victory."

Before Cotto took the offer to fight Mayweather, he had been in talks with former promoter Top Rank about a June rematch with welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao, who stopped Cotto in the 12th round of a 2009 welterweight title bout.

Pacquiao, the smaller man, wanted Cotto to drop down several pounds, but Cotto didn't want to meet at a catchweight. Cotto said the weight issue was only one reason he opted for the Mayweather offer over the one to meet Pacquiao again.

"We have more than one reason for deciding to pick the Mayweather fight instead of the Pacquiao fight," Cotto said. "I received better treatment in Mayweather's negotiation, and we decided to go with Mayweather."

LAS VEGAS -- While Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Miguel Cotto are ready to do battle on Saturday night at the MGM Grand, Manny Pacquiao -- on Tuesday the target of yet another Mayweather verbal meltdown -- is headed stateside to finish his training for his own fight.

And don't count on Pacquiao watching Mayweather-Cotto, either.

Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach have been in the Philippines for weeks getting ready for Pacquiao's June 9 welterweight title defense against junior welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr., which will also be at the MGM Grand. As usual, however, Pacquiao will put in the second part of his training camp at Roach's Wild Card gym in Hollywood, Calif., starting Monday.

They will arrive in the United States on Saturday night at LAX on Philippine Airlines flight 102 at 8:05 p.m. PT, which should be just about the time Mayweather and Cotto are getting set to enter the ring.

Because it's clear from Mayweather's recent comments that he has no plans to fight Pacquiao, why should Pacquiao bother watching to scout him anyway?

In a session with several media members upon his arrival at the MGM Grand on Tuesday, Mayweather yet again accused Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs. Among other things, Mayweather said it was "basic common sense" that Pacquiao has used illicit substances and that fighting him would pose a risk to his health. Of course, there isn't a shred of proof that Pacquiao has ever used anything illegal.

Juan Manuel Marquez is going to the International Boxing Hall of Fame someday. The Mexican star has won titles in three divisions, been in numerous action-packed fights and faced the best of his era, including Manny Pacquiao in their famed trilogy. Even though Marquez officially is 0-2-1 against Pacquiao, he deserved a much better fate. In my view (and I covered all three fights), he should be 2-0-1. (I had Marquez winning the first two fights and drawing with Pacquiao in No. 3).

But here is Marquez, coming off an excellent performance against Pacquiao in a November majority decision loss, unable to land another major fight. It's as though the top fighters played a game of musical chairs and, when the music stopped, Marquez was the one left without a seat.

Right after the loss to Pacquiao, Top Rank's Bob Arum talked about an immediate fourth fight. But that ultimately went nowhere, and now Pacquiao is set to defend his welterweight title against junior welterweight titleholder Timothy Bradley Jr. on June 9.

The other fighter Marquez had been closely linked to for a potential bout was Lamont Peterson, who owns two junior welterweight belts. Arum talked about trying to make that fight and holding it at Cowboys Stadium outside of Dallas.

Alas, that big opportunity also fell by the wayside, because Peterson elected to give Amir Khan, from whom he won the belts in December, a rematch on May 19.

With both fights failing to materialize for Marquez -- who would fight at junior welterweight or welterweight -- it has left him looking for an alternative.

If he's only going to work with Mexican promoter Fernando Beltran and Top Rank, his options are a bit limited in terms of notable fights. Probably the most interesting match would be for him to face former lightweight titlist Brandon Rios, if Rios' proposed bout with Yuriorkis Gamboa doesn't come off. (It's being negotiated for April 14 on HBO and, from what I'm told, Rios is in, but there are still issues on the Gamboa side.)

Rios struggles to make lightweight -- he missed that weight for a December fight and was stripped of his belt -- and could certainly fight Marquez at 140 pounds. Marquez-Rios would be a matchup of the ultimate star veteran against a young, hungry, rising star.

If Marquez could work with Golden Boy -- his former promoter, whom he left in order to get the third Pacquiao fight -- he has more options. A summer fight with the winner of the Feb. 25 fight between Marcos Maidana and Devon Alexander would be an interesting option, especially if it turns out to be the all-action Maidana. A similarly interesting option might be to face the winner of the May 19 fight between Lucas Matthysse and Humberto Soto, although that would mean a much longer wait for Marquez.

If I had my way, Marquez would fight the winner of the March 24 bout between junior welterweight titlist Erik Morales and youngster Danny Garcia, especially if it's Morales.

I have wanted to see Morales-Marquez for about a decade, as have many. It would pit all-time great Mexican boxers and would undoubtedly be an exciting fight (one that would also probably do well on pay-per-view). But I also want to see it because it would complete a historic round-robin, as it's the only bout that has never happened among the great foursome of Marquez, Morales, Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera, who have met 12 times between them. And if Garcia beats Morales, well, Garcia-Marquez would be another fine fight matching a star veteran against a young, exciting fighter.

The news Tuesday night that Golden Boy Promotions and Amir Khan had dropped their appeal to the IBF, which they hoped would order an immediate rematch between Khan and new unified junior welterweight titleholder Lamont Peterson, came as a surprise -- especially given how hard Khan protested the decision of their controversial Dec. 10 fight in Peterson's hometown of Washington, D.C., and that the hearing was less than 24 hours away when they dropped the case.

So although the IBF won't order a direct rematch -- the WBA already has, which the Peterson camp is vigorously protesting because it made the order without any kind of due process -- the sides are talking rematch, and Khan, who brings the bulk of the cash because of his TV deals, is willing to split profits 50-50. It's a deal that makes sense, so it seems that the big bone of contention, if they agree to fight, will be where the rematch will take place. Khan surely won't want to return to Washington, the so-called scene of the crime. But financially, D.C. -- specifically the city's main arena, Verizon Center -- makes the most sense.

So we'll see what happens there. I think we will ultimately see the rematch, probably in April. The one thing that could change that would be the unlikely event of Manny Pacquiao selecting Peterson as his next opponent. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has named Peterson among the possible opponents on the short list, but I see him as a long shot to actually get the fight.

In the wake of Khan's dropping his appeal with the IBF, Peterson and his manager, trainer and father figure, Barry Hunter, released statements about the situation on Wednesday. Here was Peterson's:

"I want to take this opportunity to thank the fans for all the positive things that I've read over the Internet and messages received via Twitter. I truly did not know how much support I had all over the world. Now that this is over I am ready to move on. As I said before, as champion I plan on representing both sanctioning bodies to the best of [my] ability and that means fighting the best fighters in the world in defending my titles."

Said Hunter:

"We are extremely pleased that Golden Boy and Amir Khan withdrew their protest with the IBF. As we have said all along, we were not going to be forced to make a decision by one person or entity and we will continue to do what is in the best interest of Lamont Peterson. The Peterson team continuously responded to each of Khan's accusations and the absurdity of the claims. Our reply addressed the rules and also Khan's inability to make adjustments and his performance in the ring, as opposed to placing blame on almost everyone associated with the bout.

"We have an open mind and look forward to Lamont's first title defense. We will discuss internally and assess every viable opportunity available. We will then make the best decision possible for the future of Lamont and his family."

• I get asked a lot about what referees and judges are paid for working world title bouts, and the paperwork related to Khan's appeal gave us a glimpse by making public what the officials were paid to work the December fight. Referee Joe Cooper, whose handling of the bout was at the center of the controversy because of the two points he docked from Khan for unheard-of pushing fouls (which cost Khan the fight), made $2,800 for his night of work. The three judges, George Hill, Valerie Dorsett (who both scored 113-112 for Peterson) and Nelson Vasquez (who had it 115-110 for Khan) made $2,000 apiece.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his team were obviously quite confident that he wouldn't be seriously punished for the domestic violence charges he faced for an attack on his ex-girlfriend, Josie Harris, with whom he has children.

That's why just six weeks after Mayweather knocked out Victor Ortiz to win a welterweight title on Sept. 17, he announced that he planned to fight again on May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas -- and that he wanted the biggest fight possible, meaning a long-awaited showdown with Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao, of course, outpointed Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12, seemingly clearing the path to the fight if the two sides could just get themselves to the bargaining table, an unusually massive hurdle.

There has been so much rumor and misinformation about supposed negotiations in recent weeks that it's impossible to know who to believe. My belief is that there haven't been real negotiations taking place. But whatever I believe or you believe, it makes no difference now.

The bottom line: There won't be a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight on May 5, and there won't be a Mayweather fight of any kind on that date. That's because Mayweather didn't just get a slap on the wrist this time, as he had in other cases he has been involved in.

Now he is being punished for real, something no boxing opponent has ever been able to do him inside the ring.

It probably wasn't a good idea to go and book a venue for May 5. With this case hanging over his head, it came off as arrogant. On Tuesday, Mayweather accepted a plea deal in the case. And on Wednesday, he was sentenced to six months in Nevada's Clark County Jail, three months of which were suspended. Since he had three days credit, Mayweather will serve 87 days in the same jail where his uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, has also served time. He was ordered to report to jail on Jan. 6.

Judge Melissa Saragosa also ordered Mayweather to pay $2,500 in fines, attend domestic violence counseling for a year and perform 100 hours of community service.

But do the math on the jail sentence. It means Mayweather won't be out of the can until early April, which means there won't be a May fight. That means that if a fight with Pacquiao ever happens -- and I know I have my doubts -- it won't happen until next fall at the earliest.

After years of fans begging for Mayweather and Pacquiao to meet in the ring, maybe the fight is simply destined to never happen.

Top Rank's Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, never really seemed to want to make the fight in the first place, and Mayweather's sentence lets him off the hook. With Mayweather out of the picture, Arum can go right ahead and make a fourth fight between Pacquiao and Marquez in the spring.

When I called Arum for a reaction to Mayweather's sentencing, his reply was short and sweet.

"No comment, happy holiday," he said.

Then Arum hung up. And I never even had a chance to wish him Happy Hanukkah.

Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's adviser, didn't answer his phone, so my next call was to Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer, who has promoted Mayweather's past five bouts.

Schaefer hadn't yet heard about Mayweather's sentencing, and sounded quite surprised when I told him the particulars. He also declined to comment.

So it was a rare day in boxing -- Arum and Schaefer both agreeing that they didn't want to comment. That has to be the upset of the year.

Whatever the promoters think, Mayweather is the one who has to figure out what he wants to do. He will be behind bars on Feb. 24, when he turns 35. For a fighter who relies on speed and reflexes, time is running out for him to make the fight with Pacquiao while they are both still elite fighters. Mayweather, who likes to brag about his Las Vegas "big boy mansion" and is now going to the big house, will have plenty of time to think about that while he's doing time.

Boxing fans are again left to mourn the fact that Pacquiao-Mayweather is the biggest tease in boxing history. Mayweather should spend some of his time thinking about his role in the continued ruination of a fight that would earn him $50 million or more as the biggest pay-per-view in history.

But he should also think long and hard about more important things while he's serving his time. Like, why couldn't he save his violence for the ring? And how did one of the world's most gifted athletes wind up locked up instead of being part of the biggest event in the sport?

When the updated ESPN.com pound-for-pound rankings were published on Wednesday, I knew a firestorm was coming. That's because I dropped Manny Pacquiao, the longtime No. 1, to No. 2 and elevated Floyd Mayweather Jr. from No. 2 to No. 1.

Based on the massive feedback I have received, mainly on Twitter, half the people -- the Mayweather fans -- want to saint me, send me money and gifts and come over to mow my lawn. The other half -- the Pacquiao fans -- think I should perform impossible and painful acts on myself and hope I meet an untimely death sooner rather than later. All over a list that is entirely opinion based? Some people need to get their priorities in order.

Anyway, for however long it was that I had Pacquiao ranked at No. 1, I apparently was nothing more than a "Pactard," the common derisive name Mayweather fans have dubbed Pacquiao fans on the Internet. And now that I have moved Mayweather to No. 1, the Pacquiao fans believe I am nothing more than a "Flomo." What grade are we in?

The reality is, I am not in either camp. I simply call it like I see it, which is the job I'm paid to do. So it was in my estimation that Pacquiao's massive struggles against Juan Manuel Marquez, a great fighter in his own right, this past Saturday night warranted a demotion. After all, Mayweather very easily outpointed Marquez in late 2009 in an utterly one-sided fight, while Pacquiao had to fight tooth and nail for a debatable decision. Maybe Marquez's style will give Pacquiao problems every time they fight. Even if that's the case, it doesn't change the fact Pacquiao struggled.

Meanwhile, Mayweather is coming off a dominant (albeit controversial) fourth-round knockout of young Victor Ortiz on Sept. 17. Even though Mayweather hasn't been very active, it's quite clear that he remains at the top of his game and warrants the No. 1 spot based on his performance inside the ring.

Bottom line: Mayweather looked terrific in his fight, even if you were unsatisfied with the knockout because Ortiz wasn't looking (his fault, not Mayweather's), while Pacquiao looked very human against a smaller man that Mayweather had decisively beaten not long ago.

I scored Pacquiao-Marquez III a draw, 114-114. It would have been completely legitimate had Marquez gotten the victory. Although Pacquiao has been on a great run in recent years and has been more active than Mayweather, my honest belief is that based on how each man looks right now -- not last year or two years ago -- Mayweather deserves to be ranked slightly ahead of Pacquiao.

It doesn't mean I'm suddenly a Mayweather sycophant who will blindly believe whatever he and his team say or that he can do no wrong. And it doesn't mean I'm a Pacquiao "hater" (what a childish term). I respect both fighters' games. Immensely.

Pound-for-pound rankings -- which, frankly, are meant to be fun -- are generally "What have you done for me lately?" measures. It's a snapshot of the here and now. And in the here and now, Mayweather looked a lot better than Pacquiao. Even Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's great trainer, admitted that Pacquiao "just had a bad night."

Pound-for-pound status must be earned every time out. Nobody is entitled to remain in their position just because they achieved it.

So for the time being, in my opinion, Mayweather is No. 1 and Pacquiao is No. 2. If you think otherwise, fine. No problem. Make your own list. And I promise not to curse at you or threaten your family like some of the morons on Twitter do to me daily.

There is, however, one way to settle the issue:

Mayweather and Pacquiao must fight inside the ring. Only then will we have our true answer about who is No. 1.