By Rudy Mondragón

According to multiple sources (Bleacher Report and ESPN), Juan Manual Marquez (55-6-1) is set to face Timothy Bradley Jr (30-0) on September 14th, 2013. Bob Arum, President of Top Rank, said that although the fight is set for September, he would move the match to October (5 or 12) if Floyd Mayweather Jr. winds up fighting on the same date. This is a good move given last year’s poor planning where both Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank had major fights scheduled during Mexican Independence weekend (TR: Sergio Martinez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. & GBP: Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez vs. Josesito Lopez).

What Top Rank is doing is calling first dibs on the hottest weekend in boxing. Top Rank is also being real about the power that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has in the sport. As of now, Top Rank owns the September 14th date, unless Mayweather Jr. decides to fight that weekend. I hate to look beyond scheduled fights, but another reality is that there are plans to create a Sergio Martinez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. rematch. The plan is for Martinez to fight this weekend (4/27) and win, setting up a potential fall rematch with Chavez Jr. If Mayweather Jr. beats Robert Guerrero, does it mean that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (off his recent win agains Austin Trout) lands a fight with Mayweather Jr. in September?

Nothing is for certain with the match ups discussed above, but they are certainly possible. What does this mean for boxing in the year 2013? One hell of a fall season of boxing! As boxing enthusiasts, all we can do is sit back (well, not really, who sits back while watching all the fighters listed above) and enjoy the match ups that are set up for the spring, summer and fall. We will most likely see Marquez and Bradley square off in the ring in October as long as Mayweather Jr. gets the W on May 4th and decides to fight again in September. Given that Money May is not getting any younger and has 30 months to fight six fights under his contract with Showtime, chances are we will see two Mayweather Jr. appearances in 2013.